Defying Destiny
by Rena Redhead
Summary: "Even if every piece of you disappeared and if it scattered everywhere; No, I won't waver, I'll start back at one and look for you all over again." Six years later and the searches continue. One search, never acknowledged, and one that started with completing a puzzle eight years ago. But… can Yugi and Seto really defy destiny? Or will lives and hearts forever be shattered?
1. Chapter One: お帰り (Okaeri)

**Disclaimer:** Never have, never will own Yu-Gi-Oh! But maybe one day I'll own one of those cool jet packs that Kaiba wears in season 5. ;)

 **Author's Note:** So… hi! I haven't really been on this site much in, well, years, but recently I just started dabbling and then somehow this story started to slip from my mind to my fingers to the page. I'm not too practiced when it comes to writing fanfiction for "Yu-Gi-Oh!", but hopefully, you find something you enjoy within this journey of ours!

This story takes place about 6 years after our heroes graduate from High School, so all of the characters are clearly older. The story I think started primarily from a question of 'well, what would happen after Yami left?' I felt like there was so much more that could be explored as there were so many unanswered questions that we were left with, despite having a conclusion.

In case anyone is curious, a number of feelings in this story come from music and I'll list a link to my muses for this story on my fanfiction author's profile homepage. I briefly want to mention too, that chapter titles may be written in either Japanese or English. English Translations of the chapter titles will be available in the top A/N's in the case of a Japanese title, along with any explanations for other relevant Japanese terminology.

Finally, I want to dedicate this story to HiKariMokubasGuardian for eternally being one of my best friends in the world. So glad that I met you. :)

Today's Chapter Title literally means "Welcome home". Because being home is a wonderful thing.

 _ **Terms -**_

"前前前世" - pronounced 'Zenzenzense', means 'Past-past-past life'. In other words the lyrics below mean, "Since your past-past-past life 'til this day I've been looking everywhere for you".

 **Defying Destiny**

"前前前世 'til this day

Been looking everywhere for you

I follow the sound of your innocent laughter

And it guided me in the right way

Even if every piece of you disappeared

And if it scattered everywhere

No, I won't waver, I will start back at one

Look for you all over again

For millions of light-years yet to come with a verse

On my lips that will never end"

"前前前世" by RADWIMPS

 **Chapter One:** **お帰り** **(Okaeri)**

It wasn't his own hunger that woke him up. Rather, it was the light streaming into the room. He debated momentarily as to whether or not he preferred the hard desk as a pillow to the idea of getting up and ready for the day. The latter won out and begrudgingly, Seto raised his head and stood up to stretch. They needed to get ready to head out anyway.

The halls of the mansion were quiet and dark. He suspected that Mokuba was likely dead asleep in his room like he always was. Upon reaching the younger's bedroom, a simple twist of the doorknob proved him correct. Lying twisted up in his sheets, his feet up by the headboard and head near the bottom corner of the bed, Mokuba had somehow managed to astound him with his ability to move around in his sleep.

"Mokuba," He said, but his brother didn't stir, "Mokuba."

Still nothing. He rolled his eyes, "Mokuba!"

Suddenly, Mokuba woke with a start falling off the side and yelping upon hitting the floor. The messy bedhead poked up with an angry look.

"Nii-sama! What was that for?" He yelled, rubbing his head where the apparent impact had occurred.

"You're going to be late for school again," Seto told him quietly.

"This wouldn't be a problem if you hired a private tutor to homeschool me," Mokuba whined, but was cut off by a shirt being thrown at him.

"Put a shirt on," Seto scolded the teen.

"Don't ignore me," Mokuba set, sitting cross-legged and doing as his brother told him.

"You would die if I had you homeschooled," Seto stated simply, digging out a clean gym uniform and slacks for his brother.

"Your logic being?" Mokuba asked as he took the slacks from his brother and hopped into them, "And why are you making sure I get dressed? Don't you have that thing tonight?"

"Clarify 'thing', Mokuba, and you'd have no social life, that's why," Seto answered.

This social life was perhaps the biggest difference between the two. Seto preferred silence and isolation to human interaction; it was too much of a hassle otherwise. However, with age, Mokuba had grown into a real social butterfly of sorts. Though he had always been well liked among his classmates, high school had treated him very well and the younger of the two Kaiba brothers had become quite popular.

Seto half suspected part of that was because now most of the students realized Mokuba was loaded, or well, close to loaded as they were brothers, but he knew that to simply disregard the fact that Mokuba was charismatic and smart, not to mention starting to hit a growth spurt and had cut his hair to shoulder length so now everyone could see his amethyst eyes, would be a rather sinful error.

Regardless of his growing popularity at school, Seto was astounded that Mokuba continued to be so loyal to him, for lack of a better word. While Mokuba always had held the title of "Vice President" of Kaiba Corp and Seto had always trusted him a large number of things that most people would call absurd to give to a kid, Mokuba had begun to invest a substantial amount of his time in the company, seeming to absorb and assist Seto more than usual whenever he could.

Whenever he couldn't though, Mokuba was either having a social life, going to cram school, studying, doing homework, or getting into some kind of trouble it seemed. Thankfully, not the kind that required Seto to pay some sort of ransom though. Even still though, Mokuba was often around the mansion, lighting the place up with his good hearted nature and beaming smile, ready to assist, listen, or see to something whenever Seto asked, even if it meant cancelling plans (though Seto had started to become more aware of Mokuba's social life so that such things wouldn't have to happen). Yes, loyal. That was the word.

"That thing with Pegasus," Mokuba stated finally standing up and zipping up his pants, "You know, the exhibit gala-party thing or whatever."

"Don't remind me," Seto stated.

"Awww, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the desk this morning," Mokuba teased with a baby voice, "Come on, Nii-sama, he's not that bad and Yugi and the others will be there too."

"I repeat, don't remind me... and I can't believe you're saying that," Seto said as he moved to leave.

Mokuba shrugged, "It helps that he hasn't attempted to kidnap me since I was ten."

"Just get ready."

 **-YGO-**

 _"Flight 717 from Cairo, Egypt: Now Arriving."_

Narita airport was packed with people. It always was. Normally, Tea never came out here, but today was different. Today he was coming home. She resisted the urge to jump up and down as she waited by the barrier and instead opted for standing on her tip toes peaking over people to see. Travelers seemed to come out in waves. Just as her toes were starting to give out though, she glimpsed a spiky head of hair coming out.

"Yugi!" She yelled and as soon as he got beyond the gates he was engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

"Hi Tea," He laughed.

"It's so good to see you! How was the flight?" She asked.

"Eh, long, you know, normal," Yugi told her smiling.

"You got a tan," She commented.

Though, as Tea had pointed out, tan, Yugi blushed a little, "Yeah, it happens when you're outside there a lot. And that's basically all archeology is."

She nodded as they walked to baggage claim, "So are you jet lagged at all?"

"Not really; I slept on the plane," He told her.

"Well that's good. Joey and Tristan wanted me to apology to you for them for not being able to come. Wrapped up with work and studying. But they'll be at the reception tonight though," Tea told him as he reached for his bag on the conveyor belt.

"Naw, it's all good. I understand," Yugi told her, lifting up his bag and inadvertently flexing his arms.

It was at this point Tea found herself blushing though. Even though they talked on a pretty regular basis via Skype, seeing Yugi in person was different. He had changed quite a bit since he had left for his job in Cairo and while she had seen him a few times since when holidays occurred, she still found herself used to the image of this short little high school student that she had been friends with years ago. But that's not at all how he appeared anymore.

Instead, Yugi had certainly grown a bit. He wasn't taller than her, but he wasn't a head shorter than her like way back then. In fact, his outrageous hair sort of made him look taller than her. It wasn't just his height that had changed though. Once a scrawny kid who sat in the corner playing games in class, when Yugi had decided to study archeology it had meant that he suddenly had to become more physically active... and strong. So while still lean, it was times when he was picking up luggage that Tea noticed that Yugi had certainly gained some muscle. In fact, come to think of it, really, he looked a lot like Atem had during that last shadow game...

Atem.

She bit her lip before deciding to fill the silence, "So... Ishizu didn't come with you?"

"No, she came early with the tablet shipments. You know how she is. She's a bit particular about letting just anyone handle those artifacts," Yugi explained.

"Have you... found anything of note lately then?" Tea inquired hesitantly.

They both knew what she was hinting at, but Yugi appreciated her bid at being subtle, "Well... not... exactly. We keep finding more from that era of Egyptian history. Lots and lots of tablets. You know, they had several kinds of tablets. They had the actual tablets that they sealed away beasts inside of, but then they had miniature ones that kept a kind of record for ease of access and accounting, and then there were just art pieces similar to that of the tablets so it all really can be hard to..."

Yugi then realized he was rambling, "Uh... but um, yeah, the tablets are the only things we've really been able to find. I haven't found anything really new about Atem."

Tea nodded, "You still miss him?"

Yugi shrugged, "I suppose I always will... I mean, he was a part of me for three years... He was like a brother, you know?"

"Except he lived inside your head," Tea added teasingly.

"Yeah, but... you know what I mean. It's just weird to be... alone, you know?"

"You know, if you moved back here, you wouldn't be so alone. We miss you," Tea told him.

"Hey, I come back on occasion!" Yugi argued.

"Only when Pegasus whistles," Tea argued back.

Yugi pouted before mumbling, "I have to eat somehow. Archeology isn't exactly a bread winning career."

"As I have pointed out before," Tea noted, "But I know you love it, so you should follow your heart."

Yugi shrugged, "Speaking of which, can you spot me for the train ticket?"

"I thought Pegasus was paying for your trip!" She exclaimed.

"Kidding, kidding!" He laughed.

"So who else is going to the gala?" She asked.

"Um, I really know of Pegasus and Ishizu for sure. Marik couldn't come, Kaiba probably got an invite though," He told her.

"Think he'll come?"

Yugi pursed his lips in thought, "Probably... though begrudgingly. I hope he does though. I think he'll find some of what we've found really interesting."

Tea looked dubious but said nothing. They both knew Kaiba really never cared about Yugi's archaeological finds. If anything, he found it annoying if not laboriously taxing on his patience. No, nothing about Kaiba had changed. He was always looking to the future while Yugi seemed hopelessly dedicated to understanding to the past.

 _"The train is arriving. Please watch your step."_

"Hey, though, before I forget, I got you something," Yugi told her.

"Aw, thank you! But give it to me after we get back to the game shop ok. I don't want to lose it," She told him as they shuffled on board.

 _"The doors are closing. Please watch your step."_

With the slide and the snap of the closing of the doors, Yugi let out a sigh. They were certainly back home. The ride back to the game shop was surprisingly short though. Through their skyping, neither of them really needed to catch up, so instead, they just talked about local news, Tea's recent dance lessons, and Yugi's latest game finds.

Jumping off at the appropriate station, they decided to grab an ice-cream cone or two before walking to the shop. As they did, Tea pulled out her phone for a selfie of the two of them. Yugi smiled as Tea clicked the phone's camera button and he watched as she scrolled through Instagram filters before posting "#BFF is back! :D :D :D #Cairo #Archeologist #IceCream" as the tagline. Her enthusiasm made him feel special. She had missed him and her smiling at him and his return meant the world to him. Something cold dripped onto his finger and he noticed his ice cream melting.

"Oh!" He quickly brought it up to lick off the drip, when he found his nose smothered in ice-cream from the scoop above.

"Yugi, you goof," Tea laughed.

He blushed a bit as he took a napkin to wipe it off his face before discarding it in the trash, "There, better?"

"You missed a spot," She said.

Yugi looked around for another napkin before realizing he had none, "You tell me that after I threw the last one away?"

"It's fine," She said, "Just lick it off."

"My tongue doesn't go up that far," He argued.

"Well fine," She said before shocking him and kissing his nose, effectively getting rid of the last bits of ice cream.

It also effectively made him go beat red and upon seeing this, suddenly, Tea went red as well. What had she been thinking?

"There, you're fine now," She told him, turning away, "Come on, we're almost there."

It took a moment for Yugi to move his legs again to follow after her. No, nothing had really changed. They were still like they had been back in high school. And that meant he still didn't know if Tea would ever feel at all the same way he felt about her.

"I'm home!" He called upon opening the door, "Grandpa?"

"Hey, Yug, you're home!" Came a call.

"Joey?" Yugi asked before getting tackled again by the bleached blonde brute.

"Yeah, man, what's happening?" Joey asked, "Your Grandpa's lying down upstairs. Not sure if he's napping or not, but if you want..."

"No, I'll wait, it's important that he rest," Yugi said, "I'll see him in a few. How's the shop holding up?"

Joey's smile seemed to beam brighter than usual, "It's going great! Duke and I have been working to update some of those games you've told us about. The prototypes are just flying. And of course, Pegasus is always sending us those card promos at discounted prices. You should warm up to him more, we'd be rich, Yug."

"That's... alright..." Yugi said, side stepping the comment.

Since deciding to go into archeology in college, Yugi had spent most of his free time digging in the sands of Egypt during internships and now a full time job. However, getting away from the title of King of Games was one that he couldn't easily run away from and, as his grandpa had pointed out, playing in Duel Monsters tournaments and doing appearances with Pegasus allowed him to pursue a more thankless and paycheck-less career. Additionally, Pegasus also made exceptions for the game shop and discounted them trading cards at a rather high cut, which helped the shop to thrive above what it had when he had been in college.

It wasn't that Yugi didn't enjoy playing Duel Monsters any less than he had back in high school and it wasn't that he wasn't inexperienced. If anything, he probably knew the game better than anyone, considering he unearthed parts of it for work. In fact, some said he was even better than he had been back in high school and when Atem had been around to help him. But playing in tournaments and doing appearances always left an oddly empty taste in his mouth afterwards. Going it alone, it was... depressing... just a little maybe.

"Well, I'm going to go get ready," Tea said, "I'll meet you guys there ok!"

"A'ight, Tea," Joey called as she left the shop, the door jingling behind her.

Yugi smiled before turning back to Joey, "So, he's really okay then?"

Joey tilted his head, "Well, you know, Yug, he's old. But, if you ask me, he's just as creepy as he was when I first met him."

"Nice, Joey, really," Yugi commented.

Joey smiled, "I just tells it like I sees it."

Yugi pulled his bag behind the counter before going to the main door to the house and kicking off his shoes. Joey followed behind, keeping an ear out for any customers. He wasn't too worried though. There wasn't much of a customer swarm until after school let out, so they should be fine to head into the house for the time being.

Sliding inside and into a seat, Yugi collapsed at the kitchen table and placed his head down to rest. Joey looked at his friend, trying to gauge what exactly Yugi wanted to do before giving up and grabbing two cans of coke from the fridge. Popping one open, he hit the other against Yugi's arm which was cradling his head on the table.

"Can't have you fallin' asleep before Pegasus' party tonight, Yug," Joey said, "Flight that bad?"

"No..." Yugi said, muffled by the table, "It was just long..."

He sat up and took the coke from Joey, hoping that the caffeine would wake him up quickly. Joey sat down after taking another listen for store activity.

"Something happen with Tea?" Joey asked.

"No..." Yugi started.

"Yug."

"No... yes... no..." Yugi grabbed at his hair and pulled himself down on the table again.

"I don't know what's worse, being confused as to if she liked me or Atem or just being confused as to if she likes me or not," Yugi complained.

"Aw, you overthink this," Joey told him, "I think she has a thing for you."

"Really?" Yugi asked sarcastically.

"Well... I mean, she skypes with you like every day. That's something," Joey remarked.

"Unlike someone who's supposed to be giving me updates on how my grandfather is doing," Yugi stated.

"He's fine! I told you! Would I let my employer die on me?" Joey asked.

"Yes, and afterwards you'd hide the body to hide the evidence of mistreatment."

"Mistreatment?!" Joey gasped in feigned horror, "How dare you impugn my honor good sir."

"How dare you forget to call in once a week!" Yugi argued back, "And after you couldn't get a job anywhere else after dropping out of school!"

"Hey hey, alright, fine, I get it, was just teasin' ya a bit that's all," Joey said defensively, "I'll do better when you go back."

Yugi paused, "Actually... Joey, I'm uh, I'm going to be sticking around here for a while."

"What?!" Joey snapped, "That's great! But wait, why? Weren't you saying that everything was going well? And wait, for how long?"

"Well, uh, it's a long story, but essentially, there's better equipment here to look at some of the artifacts we've been finding... And Pegasus has been funding the Ishtars' digs for a while and he wants more information because there's only so many shiny cards he can make of the same monsters..." Yugi explained, "So I'm going to be doing some more translations for him."

"Man, that guy's got you on a tight leash," Joey commented.

"Tell me something I don't know," Yugi said, taking another swig.

"Um... well, Tristan will be swinging by in about an hour. Said he could drive us over," Joey told him.

"He got a car?" Yugi asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he never explained it to me either. Not sure how he managed to get the money."

"Did he sell his bike?"

Joey shook his head, "Naw, he's still got it."

"Hmmm..." Yugi mulled over the rather bland news for a moment before finishing the coke and placing the empty aluminum can back on the table.

Standing up, he stretched and moved for the stairs, "I'm going to go see if Grandpa's awake."

"A'ight Yug, I'll be here," Joey replied.

"Thanks, Joey," Yugi said as his feet carried himself upstairs to his grandfather's room.

Sliding across the floor in his socks like one well versed ice skating in this particular hallway, Yugi skidded to a halt in front of his grandfather's door. Hesitantly, he knocked before gently sliding the door open. Joey had been right. His grandpa was asleep. It was an odd site, but one he was becoming more familiar with as time went on. After all, his grandfather wasn't immune to the tolls of mortality. None of them were.

Almost tiptoeing over to the bed, he sat down on the side before noticing his grandpa's water glass being empty. His grandfather as of late was suffering from Dry Mouth due to some new medications. Joey had told him that much. Knowing that his grandfather would likely want a glass of water upon waking up, he reached over to the pitcher also nearby and began to pour a glass.

"Hey there, kiddo!"

Yugi gasped in surprise and spilled the water all over his front.

"Grandpa! You scared me!" He yelled, annoyed.

"Aw, it's only water, it will dry," His grandfather laughed, "Now where's my hug?"

A mischievous look crossed Yugi's face before he gave his grandfather a big hug, being sure to soak his grandfather's front in the process with his soaking shirt as well. Solomon Motou laughed, realizing that he had been asking for the pay back as they parted so he could look Yugi over.

"I deserved that," He laughed, "But look at you. Did you grow again? You know I don't appreciate it when you do that."

Yugi laughed, but answered, "No, I think I've stopped growing."

"Shame, it would be nice if one of the men in our family could break 5' 10"," Solomon lamented, "But you've got a nice tan and it looks like you've taken to pumping some of that iron too."

Yugi shrugged. It was the same questions and comments over again, but he knew that this would be the case, "Not really. It's more like I have to move heavy things slowly and carefully."

"Well, regardless, you look good and healthy," Solomon told him, "I'm glad. But I'm more glad that you're home."

Yugi smiled, "Yeah, it's nice to be back."

"You've told everyone that you're going to be staying for a while?" Solomon asked.

"Uh, I told Joey, but no one else just yet," Yugi admitted, "Tea left before I could tell her."

"Don't you talk with her on the phone every day?" Solomon pointed out, slightly annoyed.

"...yes?" Yugi stated hesitantly, which earned him a hard smack on the back.

As if he's seriously ill, Yugi thought as his grandpa continued, "If you don't ever say anything to her, you're never going to get anywhere with that girl. You'll lose her!"

"Yeah, I know, I know," Yugi complained, "Can we talk about something else?"

"Such as?" Solomon asked.

"Your health perhaps, since Joey hasn't told me anything since three weeks ago," Yugi filled in.

"I'm doing fine, Yugi, I'm just a little more tired than usual," Solomon told him.

"You sure? Everything's alright?" Yugi asked earnestly.

"I'm sure. Don't let me stop you from anything you want to do while here," Solomon answered.

"Could I let it stop me from working?" Yugi asked, jokingly.

"Not on your life!" Solomon cried, "Pegasus' discount is phenomenal because of you and I'd sooner die than keep you from fulfilling that man's wishes!"

"Glad to know you'd sell me off for trading cards, Grandpa," Yugi stated sarcastically.

"Only holographic ones," Solomon said with a wink, "Now go get ready for tonight. I expect you to clean up well!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going," Yugi said, standing up and heading for the door, "Hey Grandpa."

"Yes?"

"It's good to be home," He said.

Solomon smiled, "It's good to have you home."

They nodded at each other before Yugi left for his room. Upon reaching it, he noticed how very sparse it was in comparison to how it had once been. One thing that was present though was a suit hanging up under a sheet of plastic. Knowing that he would not get the time to send it to the dry cleaner beforehand, he had sent it early to have it prepped here. Looking at it, he found himself realizing how incredibly foreign it seemed to him. He knew he needed to get ready, but his bed was calling to him.

Collapsing onto the old thing and sinking into it, he looked up at the ceiling. No matter how many times he told himself that he need to move it, he just didn't seem to be able to manage it. He reached up for the ceiling and swiped at the air as if trying to grab something that wasn't there. It was odd to have nothing up on the walls or hanging above from the ceiling. It was... lonely. He turned to his side to see the one photograph still in the room of him and all of his friends.

Despite all they had been through, for some reason, he was nervous to be back and around them. As though they'd disappear or leave if they were around him again. He knew that was illogical, but nonetheless, he couldn't shake the fear completely away. He sat up and stretched again.

Regardless of if he was afraid or not of losing his friends to the passage of time or the changes that come with getting older, he knew there was no use dwelling on it. Things would unfold around him, unabated and unperturbed by his personal relationships. Like this party.

He stood up and headed for the bathroom to get ready. The party wouldn't be all bad. After all, they had found a few things he knew would be of interest to everyone. Especially Kaiba. In fact, thinking about that almost excited him. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** I admit, a little bit of a slow start up, but I hope you continue reading! This is only my 3rd time writing YGO and I'm a little rusty. But bare with me and I think you'll greatly enjoy what you read! Also, Happy National Friendship Day! HiKariMokubasGuardian and I decided to post our new stories on the same day, so be sure to check out her new story as well titled 'Wingman'! I've already read a few chapters behind the scenes and I've had to keep from snorting soda up my nose, she's that great at comedy. Anywho, let me know what you thought in your reviews and can't wait to bring you the next chapter!

Later,

~Rena


	2. Chapter Two: 大切な人 (Taisetsuna Hito)

**Disclaimer:** Well, I now own a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon via the Duel Links game after a bazillion booster pack purchases with gems, but I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" So…. yeah, the depression continues.

 **Author's Note:** Anyone else shocked that this has a chapter two already?! I am, but I'm also still surprised that I'm writing again, haha…. OTL . It feels good though! In any case, I did think I should mention, as I've been drafting this story out, the more I've come to realize that it follows the manga more than it does the anime, if that helps in understanding continuity etc. Anyway though, here's chapter two for you!

Today's title means "A Precious Person" (most closely anyway; "Taisetsuna" can also mean: Important, Valued, Indispensable, Beloved, Cherished, or Dear).

 _ **Terms**_ -

Yuzu - A Nickname for names such as Yuzuha, Yuzuka, etc. in Japan.

 **-YGO-**

 **Chapter Two:** **大切な人** **(Taisetsuna Hito)**

Seto tapped on the steering wheel impatiently. It wasn't like he could sit here forever and he wasn't about to pay for parking. Just no. He could certainly afford the prices, but he wasn't about to just waste money. Or time loading his car into one of those mechanical nightmare lift garages. Not only would it be a waste of time, but he wasn't going to risk scratching his new Lamborghini. Especially considering the fact that his McLaren was still in the shop for the last time someone scratched one of his cars.

Once again, he pulled out his phone and dialed his brother. Nothing. Was it still off because of school hours? That didn't sound right, school had let out. Maybe Mokuba was talking with a teacher. He waited for another 5 minutes. Letting out a low growl, he opened the door and slammed it shut.

At this point, a parking fee was fine.

Striding into the school he looked around. He was taller than just about 99% of everyone there, so it didn't take long to pick out a kid he thought he recognized. Walking over to the teen, it didn't take long for his attention to be directed to the towering CEO in front of him.

"Mind telling me where Mokuba Kaiba might be?" Seto asked, sourness practically radiating off of him.

The poor sap of a kid who was unlucky enough to be asked gulped, "Uh... he went that way with Yuzu last I saw."

Immediately, Seto turned on his heel and walked in the direction specified. He soon got to a nearly empty area of the school with nothing but flier boards and a few strangling students. No Mokuba though. Seto eyed an emergency staircase doorway. Slamming it open, Seto only had to look to his left to find two teenagers, one of whom he'd been looking for, startled out minds and effectively cut off from their make out session.

"Mokuba, let's go," Seto ordered.

"Eh? Wait, wha-"

"I told you not to straggle today," Seto said, walking off.

Looking between Yuzu and Seto, Mokuba clapped his hands together and whispered 'sorry' before picking up his bag and running after Seto.

"Seto, wait, I'm sorry, I forgot..." Mokuba explained.

"Save it," Seto said, bursting through the door and back to the Lamborghini, Mokuba following closely behind.

"Jump in and get changed," He continued.

"Wait, I'm going?" Mokuba asked, "I thought..."

"Yes, why do you think I asked you to be on time? You're lucky that I didn't get a ticket or it would have come out of your wallet," Seto snapped.

"Ok, but, how on earth am I supposed to change in the car?" Mokuba questioned, eyeing the two seater.

"Be creative," Seto said, getting inside and slamming the door shut again.

Mokuba winced. His brother was clearly in a sour mood today. Jumping in, he pulled out the white matching suit to the one his brother was wearing and began to shimmy off his school uniform as his brother drove into downtown Domino City.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry," Mokuba said, as he slipped on the nicely pressed shirt his brother had brought him.

Seto said nothing for a moment before replying, "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's fine," Mokuba said, now buttoning the shirt up over his undershirt, "Though you could have called."

"I did."

"Oh..." Mokuba trailed off before he reached into his bag to find 4 missed calls on his phone which was on silent, "Sorry. Must have forgot to turn it on."

"That distracted, huh?" Seto said monotoned.

"Well, yeah, didn't you see her? Been putting the moves on her for a while now; which thanks by the way," Mokuba remarked sarcastically.

"I don't see why you waste your time with girls; you have enough on your plate," Seto told him.

"Says the most reclusive rich young bachelor in all of Domino City," Mokuba retorted, "Seriously, how would you know dating is a waste of time if you never give any girl a chance?"

"Oh yes, Mokuba, I should go out of my way to court a woman so that she can later divorce me and sue me for half of my wealth. Thanks, but no thanks," Seto shot back.

"It's 'cause you're married to your Blue Eyes," Mokuba commented, "That or your work. One or the other."

Seto eyed his brother as he threw on the jacket as they neared their destination, but said nothing. He'd heard that so many times he could have been rich if he had copyrighted the phrase. Or well, richer than he already was. Mokuba smirked as he let the window down.

"Mokuba, shut that thing," Seto shot back, "You'll mess up your hair."

"Naw, I'm going to live a little, Nii-sama. You should try it sometime," He said, "Yahoo!"

As Mokuba practically stood half outside the window, Seto continued to drive closer to their destination. Live a little? Ironic thing to say considering they were going to another boring event. Seriously, how was he supposed to do that?

 **-YGO-**

The limo coming to pick him up was a bit of a surprise, but Yugi quickly got over it and jumped in. Pegasus certainly was... showy to say the least. But after a while, one got used to it… kind of. Sitting in the back, Yugi enjoyed the silent ride and used the time to nap. But the ride was so quick that when the car jolted to a stop, he nearly fell face forward as he wasn't expecting it.

The driver got out and came around to the side. Beyond the door, Yugi could hear a crowd chatting away excitedly. He sighed. He just hoped he could find Tea and Joey and the others quickly. He really wasn't used to the limelight and preferred for these things to be over and done with within minutes. Not that it always happened, but he could dream. In his pocket, he felt the small box that he hadn't been able to give Tea from before. Hopefully, he could give it to her tonight and it wouldn't be weird or anything.

The door opened and a blinding stream of lights hit him along with a cheer from the crowd. Cameras snapped away and Yugi held a hand out while his eyes adjusted before he gave the crowd a sweet smile and waved. The sounds got louder and faster as he walked down the red carpet towards the doorway where his benefactor was. Upon hearing the cheers directed other than at himself, Pegasus turned to see the King of Games.

"Yugi Muto, so you made it here safely I see," Pegasus said, before shaking Yugi's hand with a tight squeeze.

"Yes, thank you again for-" Yugi began, but he was cut off.

"No, no, thank you! I know it can be such a strain to get here from Cairo," Pegasus told him, "But I really do appreciate you coming. With all of the finds you have had, it's quite exciting for the world of Duel Monsters."

Yugi smiled kindly, "Oh, I don't know about that."

"Nonsense! You're finding tablets and relics behind my imagination," Pegasus said, "I can't tell you how that has benefitted the game."

Yugi nodded, "Well, thank you for funding."

"But of course, of course!" Pegasus said as they posed for a few photos together.

"Have you seen my friends at all by chance? I gave them the passes and told them to go ahead of me..." Yugi said between photos.

"I have not, but I'm sure they're already inside," Pegasus said, "In fact, I've been told that nearly everyone has arrived so far except-"

An electric blue Aventador skidded to a halt in front of the red carpet. Emerging from the right side of the Italian sports car, a young man in a white suit, a slightly messy head of blackish purple hair and from the left, a slightly taller young adult with brown hair and striking blue eyes in a matching suit.

The Kaiba Brothers.

"Speak of the devil," Pegasus said.

Seto threw the keys to the valet and walked around to the side with his brother, not stopping for the cameras as they headed for the entrance.

"Kaiba!" Pegasus exclaimed, clearly delighted that the party could now begin, "It's been a long time."

Seto resisted the urge to say "not long enough" before Pegasus continued, "You both look to be in good health. Mokuba, how old are you now?"

"Seventeen," Mokuba muttered a little awkwardly.

Even though Mokuba joked that Pegasus wasn't that bad in the past, Yugi had noticed that he still didn't let his guard down around him. What had been belligerent kidnapping had been written off as an adult attempting to watch over a child that had been abandoned without adult supervision to the authorities. So while it all seemed to have been slid under the rug and the time since then had been void of incidents, Mokuba still instinctively watched himself around Pegasus even at the age of seventeen.

"My, you've grown so much," Pegasus said, now turning to the elder of the two, "Thank you so much for coming. I think you'll be very pleased with some of the new cards and game rules we will be unveiling tonight, Seto."

"Save your breath Pegasus. I'm not interested in socializing," Seto stated simply, before turning to Mokuba and not even acknowledging Yugi's presence, "Come on, Mokuba."

Mokuba bowed slightly to the two in front of him before following off behind his brother. Yugi moved to call after them, but they were already inside before he could say anything. Letting out a sigh, he jumped a bit when Pegasus placed a hand around his shoulder.

"Oh, don't let him bother you," Pegasus said, "He's the same as he always has been. Let's go inside shall we?"

Yugi nodded. Yes, the same as always. The entry way opened up to reveal a grand gala. Amid many lavishly dressed guests included all of the hordevours one might expect as well as what could have been seen as a very mixed display of trading cards and Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Yugi quickly caught site of Ishizu down below and as Pegasus became distracted by a few patrons, Yugi made his way down to who he preferred to think of as his real boss.

"Ishizu, I'm glad you made it here without any problems," Yugi said to her.

Ishizu turned around and smiled, "Yes, and you as well. I trust you are able to overcome the jet lag?"

"Yeah, it's not a problem," Yugi told her, "Not everything is out yet, is it?"

"Well, not the large tablets, no," Ishizu said, "Why?"

"I was hoping to show a few people prior to their reveal," Yugi said.

"Ah, well, I trust you; if you want to show one or two people, it's fine. Just make your way around to the left and you'll be able to enter the back room," Ishizu instructed.

"Great, thank you!" Yugi said, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, nothing tonight. Just be ready to work on Monday, my King," Ishizu told him.

Yugi nodded before turning away to find his friends. He felt his cheeks and noticed they were a little red. Ishizu didn't mean it, but sometimes she slipped up and called him "King". She claimed she said it because he and Atem held the same countenance these days, but he wasn't so sure he agreed with that statement. He scanned the crowd to see if he could find any of his friends. He hoped to find Tea first, but instead, he saw the Kaiba brothers off, it seemed, by themselves arguing under their breath with one another. Yugi smiled and walked over from their right.

"Kaiba," He said, but when Seto and Mokuba didn't notice, he spoke up a little more, "Kaiba."

Seto and Mokuba turned to see him. While Mokuba's face was bright and cheery, Seto's remained stone as always, "Yugi."

"How are you doing? It's been a while," Yugi stated.

"We just saw each other outside," Kaiba put simply.

"Well, uh, yes, but I mean, we haven't spoken in a while," Yugi managed to stutter through. Kaiba always made him a little nervous, especially after a bit of time had passed.

"What's your point?" Seto asked point blank.

"Nothing, I just, I wanted to see how everything was going and if you guys were doing alright," Yugi stated awkwardly.

"We're doing great! Nii-sama's still a stick in the mud at times, but overall, we're good!" Mokuba said before Seto could cut in, "What about you? You're visiting from Egypt right? How's it out there?"

Yugi smiled, grateful for Mokuba's attitude, "Hot, but that's normal."

"I'd bet, but you found all of these, right?" Mokuba asked enthusiastically.

"Well, not all of them," Yugi said humbly, "I helped out with a lot of them though."

"Massive waste of time and money if you ask me," Seto muttered.

"You think everything's a waste of time," Mokuba shot back.

"If you're going to go on again about that..." Seto began.

"Well, everyone has their own perspective on these sorts of things," Yugi gently put, "I mean, I find it interesting to learn more about the past and to find things that no one ever knew before."

"And how does that help you now?" Seto shot abruptly.

"Huh?" Yugi said, surprised by the question.

"I said, how does that help you now?" Seto said.

Yugi thought for a moment, "Well, you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been."

"But you know where you've been," Seto stated, "You know your past. What good does it do for you to know about some dead civilization?"

Yugi felt a little uneasy, but bit his lip and continued, "Well, we can learn from ancient civilizations. We can choose how to live and not live based off of their successes and failures."

"Some good that does you," Seto remarked, "You're so busy focusing on trying to find a random dead guy that you've isolated yourself just as you did back in High School. You don't learn anything from your past mistakes, let alone someone else's."

"Nii-sama..."

"Oh, tell me I'm wrong," Seto said bitterly, "You're still trying to find that imaginary pharaoh of yours, aren't you? You just can't let your imaginary friend go, even after you somehow managed to delude three idiots into being your friends for real."

Yugi froze completely, when his head bent down as Seto finished, "Well, am I wrong?"

Mokuba looked between the two, mortified by Seto's words. Even if Seto was upset about being dragged out here, it didn't mean he had to take it out on Yugi... Finally, Seto's rival looked up at him, his countenance set.

"Kaiba, I can't abandon any of my friends, even those that have passed on," Yugi stated firmly, "Surely that is something you can understand."

"Oh yeah, I understand," Seto said, "I understand that you've completely abandoned your life here in the hopes of finding something you never had. Honestly, you gave up everything. I can understand that you did it, but I can't understand why."

"Because it's a part of me," Yugi said unflinchingly, "Just as your connection to the Blue Eyes is a part of you."

Seto paused. He wanted to say that they were just trading cards. He wanted to argue that it didn't matter. But he also knew that those cards never left his pocket and so silently he simmered. Mokuba looked between the two in a panic.

"Uh, um, well, uh, hey, Yugi, on another subject... kinda, is this everything you've found?" Mokuba asked.

After a long staring contest, Yugi broke the gaze and looked over at Mokuba, "No, actually, I did want to show you both something that we found that I thought would be very special to you, especially you, Kaiba."

Seto rolled his eyes, but Mokuba's excited look couldn't be ignored, "Cool, can we see it now? Where is it?"

"It should be off in the room adjacent to this one. Ishizu gave me a pass, wanna see before everyone else does?" Yugi asked.

"Sure! Come on, Nii-sama," Mokuba said, tugging on Seto's arm, a habit he failed to let go of even as he had gotten older.

Yugi led the two over to the left side of the large hall and took out the pass from Ishizu. With a swipe, the door unlocked and the three of them entered. The room was dark and Yugi found himself fiddling around for the light switch while Seto and Mokuba stood by the door. As he searched, he found himself considering that maybe he was wasting his time showing Kaiba what he had found. Maybe even foolish. Time and again, people had pointed out to him that Kaiba and him were different. That they had massively different perspectives on life and that Kaiba's attitude was incomprehensibly rude in comparison to Yugi's gentler demeanor. Essentially, people said to stay away from him.

But he couldn't. Because as many times as he saw Atem's image engraved into the stones in the Valley of the Kings, he also saw Atem's priest's image as well. Seto's image. Maybe he was selfish. Maybe he wanted to believe that there was someone else out there who was as lost as he was. But then again, he had never doubted that Seto was indeed a good person deep down. The fact that Mokuba was still so loyal to his brother was proof of that, right? And really, after all they had gone through, weren't they friends? Seto may never acknowledge it, but Yugi considered him to be such. Perhaps as Atem had considered Seth...

He found the switch.

"Got it!" He said excitedly as they all entered.

In front of them were several displays covered in shimmering purple curtains. Mokuba looked on curiously while Seto's face remained set with boredom.

"We managed to find some of the original tablets that the Egyptians contained the spiritual entities used to battle with," Yugi explained, "Most of them are found together, but these were separate."

He pulled the first two curtains back to reveal two large tablets encased in glass. One looked strikingly like the Dark Magician, a card Yugi used often, and the other like that of the Dark Magician Girl, another favorite of Yugi's. Mokuba's eyes widened.

"Wow! For real? You're not pulling our legs right?" Mokuba said, looking on impressed.

"No lie. These two were actually right next to one another practically. Was a pain to get them out though... lots of snakes..." Yugi said, recalling the memory.

"Where exactly were they?" Mokuba asked.

"They were in a labyrinth of sorts. It was odd, like a mix of a prison and a sacred chamber. It was such a maze," Yugi told him.

"How did you find your way?" The younger Kaiba asked.

"We went slow, just a bit day by day," Yugi told him.

Seto said nothing as Yugi moved to the third curtain.

"This one though was odd. It was hidden away in a deeper section of the valley and we almost didn't recognize what it was at first. Most of these tablets are pretty well preserved, but this one was like it had been forgotten or stowed away. Very unusual," Yugi continued.

"Yugi," Seto finally said.

"Yes?"

"Why are you showing us this?" Seto asked, "Why are you not showing your friends?"

Yugi looked at Seto sternly before answering, "You _are_ my friend, Kaiba. And I think this one will be very significant for you."

"Don't you start in trying to get me to believe in that fairytale again," Kaiba started.

"Kaiba, I'm not trying to get you to believe in anything," Yugi told him, "But, you know, even in the ruins of the past, sometimes you find a treasure. I think this might be a treasure to you."

Seto's irritation seemed to seethe out from his clothes, "Would you stop trying to involve me in this? I'm interested in Duel Monsters merchandise for my company's prosperity, nothing more."

In his pocket, Yugi's pocket buzzed. He pulled it out. A text from Tea, "Are you here? :)" He looked at the door and then to Kaiba. He really wanted Kaiba to see this before the crowd did, but at the same time he wanted enough time to give Tea her gift...

"You're already involved in this Kaiba, whether you like it or not," Yugi stated simply, "But whether you choose to act upon what we found is completely up to you. I just wanted to give you the option."

The incredibly short and sound phrasing coming out of Yugi surprised Seto. Normally, Yugi's kind demeanor wouldn't warrant such words to slip from his mouth. Maybe Cairo had improved Yugi's backbone a bit. Then again, he knew Yugi had one. Just like in every instance they had dueled in the past. He had an inner strength that just radiated... regality? No, but it was something different. He wouldn't give into that nonsense.

"I have to go, but if you want to see it before the crowd, that's up to you," Yugi said, "Just shut the door behind you and it will lock."

"Yugi," Seto said, getting the young man in front of him to look back over his shoulder, "You're the strongest opponent I've ever faced, but you let your ties to the past overtake your better judgement. Do you care to explain to me why?"

Yugi paused for a moment, mulling over the question in his head. In order to leave, he knew he had to think of an answer that was honest, but also one that Kaiba would accept. Finally, he came to his answer.

"Because I care about someone," He said, "That's all there is to it."

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So if you've never seen an Aventador Lamborghini, look it up, and if you haven't seen a McLaren, oh boy, go find a picture of one of those beauties haha. I had fun doing research on cars for Seto. Actually, over the past year, I've learned a lot about different car brands and such, so to be able to use that knowledge outside of a car dealership or mechanic shop was great. Anywho, hope you enjoyed the chapter! MORE EXCITING STUFF HAPPENING IN CHAPTER THREE! Can't wait to share it all with you. Till then, let me know what you thought through reviews!

Later,

~Rena


	3. Chapter Three: 青の欠片 (Ao no Kakera)

**Disclaimer:** Nope, don't own 'em. Never have, never will.

 **Author's Note:** Well, that's sad, I've had this chapter done for ages now and I haven't posted it yet. OTL My apologies. Couple quick things I want to mention now that we're on chapter 3 though. So, clearly this is not in keeping with the plot of "Dark Side of Dimensions". I'm primarily sticking to the manga interpretation of the story where Kaiba never believed Yugi and Yami were different people and was still vehemently opposed to the idea of magic. Makes everything easier that way. Anyway, I'll let you get to reading and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

 _ **Terms -**_

10,000 yen - About $100 USD.

Today's chapter title means "Blue Shards" or more literally "Blue Broken Pieces" or "Fragments of Blue". It's a slight nod to one of my favorite songs "Aka no Kakera" (Fragments of Scarlet), the opening to 07 Ghost performed by Yuki Suzuki.

 **-YGO-**

 **Chapter 3:** **青の欠片** **(Ao no Kakera)**

"Because I care about someone," He said, "That's all there is to it."

Seto watched as Yugi left the room, a scowl on his face. He and Mokuba stood alone in silence before he burst, "He's deluded. Care about someone, please."

"I don't think it's so crazy, Seto," Mokuba said hesitantly.

"What, do you actually believe his crap Mokuba?" Seto raged, "He's played a game of lies with everyone for so long he believes it himself."

"No, I mean, I don't think it's crazy to care about someone," Mokuba said, "Like, you care about me, right? And when you read a book, you learn to care about the characters in a book."

"That's completely different, Mokuba. You're standing in front of me, right here, right now. And books are just that, books! They're just stories and there's a clear distinction between them and reality! There's no point in caring that much!" Seto argued.

It was at this point, Mokuba got angry himself, "Nii-sama, what is your problem? Why can't you just let Yugi care? You just said there's no point in caring that much about something!"

"I don't have a problem," Seto informed him, "It's everyone else here that has a problem and is so insistent on dragging up the past in favor of the future and I'm sick of it."

"Well, what's so great about your future anyway?" Mokuba asked, "Honestly, what are you living for? What is going to be so great about your future? Because from my point of view, you're just going to end up old and alone because you never let anyone in."

Seto's eyes went wide at the statement, as though surprised that Mokuba could even make a point like that, before he responded in an even toned voice, "I'm living for you. So that you can have a good life. That's all I've ever lived for and I don't need or want anyone or anything else."

Mokuba stared at his brother, skeptically, "That's all? You don't care to be happy for yourself at all? Nii-sama, that's not living. That's just waiting to die... I don't want to see you do that to yourself."

Seto glared at the floor as his brother's words hit him like blazing arrows. His brother was indeed his brother. Intelligent, calculating at times, and swift with his blows.

"Fine, you want me to look at this pathetic old rock that Yugi dug up, fine," Seto said, moving to draw the curtain, "It's not going to change anything and it's certainly not going to improve my future."

Ripping the curtain open, Mokuba gasped and Seto's eyes went wide. Before them was another tablet, similar to the first two, but it was older and more worn down. Still, in the crevices was etched the image of a creature very familiar to them both, but to Seto in particular. He swallowed as Mokuba stepped forward.

"Is that... the Blue Eyes White Dragon?" He asked.

Seto was quiet and Mokuba couldn't tell what Seto was thinking. Was he angry? Was he in shock? Was he skeptical? Did he think it was real? Was it fake? One thing was for sure, Seto hadn't been expecting this.

"Nii- sama?" Mokuba asked quietly.

"No... this can't be..." Seto started, "It's not the Blue Eyes."

"What?" Mokuba exclaimed, "But it looks just like them! Look, it even has the same head and wings and the arms..."

"It's not the Blue Eyes!" Seto yelled, a heat welling up in his chest.

He was so angry, but he couldn't even begin to list off the reasons why. Why did Yugi have to show him this? Was it fake? Was it real? No, it couldn't be. But it had to be. But why? Why now? After so many years... And why was he so angry that it hurt? Like the memory of something being dredged up from the bottom of a murky sea of poison.

"But... Seto, what else could it be?" Mokuba pointed out, "Just compare the two!"

Suddenly, Seto found himself instantly aware of the cards in his pocket. Should he compare the two? No. But why not? Was he afraid? No. He wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid of anything.

"Fine," He spat, "But I'm telling you, it's not..."

He pulled out the three cards and held them up to look at both them and the tablet in front of him. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Outside in the grand hall, Yugi searched around for his other three friends. Maybe he had been a bit too short back there. It was just frustrating how Kaiba could be so confrontational when all he was trying to do was something nice. He would apologize for his words later. But still, he couldn't find... a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Tea in the absolute most stunning red dress he'd ever seen. He gulped.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!" She told him.

"We?"

"Guys, he's over here," Tea called and their two other friends, Tristan and Joey came running over.

Tristan had cleaned up well, but Joey... well, he had tried. Yugi forced a rough smile.

"Hey man! How's it been?" Tristan asked him.

"Tristan, he's been asked that question at least a dozen times today," Joey told him.

"Well, I haven't heard the answer yet!" Tristan yelled back at him.

"Try being more considerate though!" Joey yelled in response.

"Oi, why don't you both try being considerate and go get us some snacks," Tea told them both.

"Why us?" Tristan argued.

"Because Yugi looks like he's going to collapse from the jet lag," Tea told him.

"Oh, no really, I'm fine..."

"Don't worry about it Yug, we got this. Come on Tristan," Joey said, dragging the other off.

"Hey, wait a minute, agh, fine, but Yugi, we're totally going to have a video game night soon right?"

"You bet," Yugi called as the other two walked off.

Now it was just them. The two of them. Alone. Well, not really alone. They were in a pretty big crowd. But it certainly felt like they were alone. Yugi awkwardly decided to break the silence.

"Uh, you um, wanna sit down?"

Tea laughed, "There's not really any place to sit though."

"Oh... yeah..." Yugi said, realizing the fault in his plan.

"You know, you really do look exhausted," Tea said, "Is it really jet lag or did something happen?"

"Well..." Yugi hesitated, "Kinda. I tried to do something nice for Kaiba, but he kinda threw it back in my face."

"Seriously?" Tea asked, "When will that guy learn? He's never going to make friends that way."

"I don't really think he's interested in having friends, Tea," Yugi put thoughtfully.

"He's got us," Tea pointed out.

"But he doesn't count us," Yugi said sadly.

She nodded, "I guess... he's as stubborn as a mule about that. Do you think he's still mad that he's never been able to beat you?"

Yugi shrugged, "I don't know. I think he's... just... mixed up. And I don't blame him. I think he lost something a long time ago, like I did. But I don't think he even realizes it."

"Like what?" Tea asked.

"Well... you know, it's just odd. Normally, when a person took on the title of Pharaoh, they have a family and it's well documented," Yugi told her.

"But what does Atem have to do with Kaiba?" She inquired.

"Not Atem, his priest, Seth," Yugi clarified, "Seth took the throne after Atem, but nowhere does it say he ever had a family. The royal line was lost..."

"That is a little odd," Tea said, "You have any idea why?"

"I think... I don't know. I just know that Seth went on to be a great king. Even though he couldn't control the Egyptian Gods, he could control the Blue Eyes, which no one else seemed to be able to do, and it allowed him to rule with great harmony in the land. It was a protector... Maybe he was just protecting something...The royal line was known to kill one another off at times...So maybe he just didn't trust anyone," Yugi said, "But I don't know. There's so little out there, even less, if possible, than what there is on Atem, so all we can really do is speculate, but perhaps Kaiba was destined to lose the ability to trust anyone in the same way Seth was… if that indeed was the case."

"Well, not trusting anyone certainly sounds like Kaiba," Tea put a little bitterly, "Sorry, but I just don't see why he can't realize that not everyone is like his step-father or out to steal his company."

Yugi shrugged, "I think he just... doesn't want anything to be taken away again."

"Well, that's ridiculous," Tea stated, "Life is about making mistakes and trying new things and meeting new people. I mean, we wouldn't be friends if we hadn't taken that chance. Of just getting to know one another even though we ran with different crowds back then."

Yugi neglected to mention the fact that Tea ran with a crowd and that he had had no crowd, but let her continue, "And look at us now. You're my best friend, Yugi, and I'm so grateful for that. It's just... it's so good that you're home."

Yugi reached into his pocket where the small wrapped up box was. Perhaps now...

"Yeah, it's nice," Yugi said, shyly pulling the box out and hiding it in his right hand. Now was his chance.

Inside the back room, Seto stood transfixed between the cards in his hand and the stone tablet before him. Around both brothers, something seemed to whistle lightly around them. Seto moved his hand slightly allowing for a glimmer to shine over his cards. From that one spark, a stream of bright light burst forth from his hands and aimed for the tablet. With it, a great gust of energy and wind emerged. He barely managed to hold onto the cards as he and Mokuba lifted their arms to shield themselves from the gust, which shattered the glass surrounding the tablet. Seto heard a roar and when he looked at the tablet, his eyes bulged.

Mokuba yelled for his brother, "Nii-sama!"

The light seemed to seep into the lines of the tablet, filling in every crack until the beast's image was complete, though they could only see it for an instant as the light got brighter. A roar sounded again and with it, a kind of energy almost leapt out of the tablet right at Seto, hitting him hard in the chest. He felt his chest constrict and his throat tighten, but it couldn't possibly be from the impact of the blast. This was inside him and it seemed to be spreading. And his mind... Where was he? As the light increased in strength, Seto fell to his knees, his mind being flooded with images and emotions and jumbled memories as the light hit him.

"Nii-sama!"

But Seto didn't hear him. It was muffled screams and sobbing and yells and roars and heat and blistering wind, all overwhelming his senses. And then those eyes, those eyes flicker... and die. He felt his heart shattering.

"Nii-sama, are you alright? Nii-sama!" Mokuba asked, running to his brother's side.

But what he found almost terrified him more than seeing his brother fall. When he also got to his knees, Mokuba saw his brother, now his hands to the ground, shaking as though he couldn't possibly remain upright for much longer. But aside from his strength clearly being zapped from his body, it was his face that scared Mokuba the most. Because he had never seen Seto like that in his life. Tears streaming down his cheeks, his breath caught in his throat, and his whole body shaking with a kind of agony.

"Nii-sama, Nii-sama, what's wrong?" Mokuba said, grabbing his brother by the shoulder and attempting to pull Seto out of the trance he seemed to be in, though it seemed to do no good.

But then as the light seemed to subside slowly, Seto barely held back a choked sob as he fell to his side.

"Seto!" Mokuba yelled again, almost begging for his brother to come back to the present, when suddenly Seto gasped and seemed to become aware of what was going on around him.

"Nii... Nii-sama?" He whispered. He felt helpless, panicked by his own lack of knowledge of what to do, "Let's go to the car. Come on."

Mokuba did his best to pick up his brother from the ground and get him to his feet, which was only made more difficult by the fact that Seto's legs were shaking so bad. He looked behind him when a final third roar sounded and he saw the tablet which seemed to crack into several pieces before the light broke and jetted out through the ceiling, amazingly not damaging the roof, and away. Mokuba turned for the exit. They had gotten only a few steps from the museum's display when suddenly Seto froze in his tracks.

"Nii-sama, what is it?" Mokuba asked.

"The cards..." He whispered, his voice shaking, "Where are the cards?"

"Your cards?"

"The Blue Eyes..."

Mokuba's eyes searched around the room to see that Seto had dropped them a little ways from where they had been moments ago. He let Seto lean against a wall as he ran to scope them up. Looking at their glittering holographic images, Mokuba could only stare back at his brother in shock. Seto never, _never_ , dropped his cards. Least of all the Blue Eyes. Something was clearly wrong.

He ran back over and handed them to his brother, "They're right here, Nii-sama. Come on, you've got to lie down."

Seto took the cards weakly and in a near instant, ceased a loose grip on them. Outside in the hall, Yugi turned upon hearing the final roar of the beast. He looked at Tea, who was confused by the commotion as well.

"I'll be right back," He told her.

"Wait, Yugi, what's..."

But he had already bolted for the back room. No one seemed to move. Most seemed confused. But a few people had stopped moving to notice the sound. Pegasus. Joey. Tristan. Duke. Ishizu. Those that recognized it. Those that knew.

That was the Blue Eyes.

Yugi ran to the door where he swiped the card for a second time that night, which he flung open to reveal the Kaiba brothers, Seto leaning on Mokuba for support.

"What happened?!" Yugi almost yelled, "Are you okay?"

"We're uh, we're fine, I think," Mokuba said, "But uh... you might not want to show off that third tablet..."

"Wha..."

"Just help us get out quickly... please, and not make a scene," Mokuba requested.

Yugi looked over his shoulder. Thankfully, no one was really watching. Or from what he could tell. He nodded and hoisted Kaiba's other arm over his shoulder and gestured over to the left.

"This way," He said.

Mokuba followed Yugi's lead and the three moved towards an area Yugi figured was the most likely way that the union guys would get the tablets in and out of the building. It worked. Shoving the door open, Joey barely caught sight of them before the door shut behind them. As they scooted into the alleyway, Mokuba attempted to dig out his phone.

"Can you hold him up?" He asked.

"Yeah, but what happened?" Yugi asked, still rather startled.

"Valet? Can you bring the Kaiba Lamborghini around to the back alley off of Hamamatsu road?" Mokuba asked, "10,000 yen incentive for getting it here in under two minutes."

He ended the call and turned to Yugi and Seto, the latter of which seemingly becoming more exhausted, "Nii-sama, come on, hang in there."

"Hey, what happened,?" Yugi repeated, a little annoyed now.

"Well, uh, Nii-sama held out his Blue Eyes cards because we were arguing about if the tablet you wanted to show us was just like the Blue Eyes or not and it just sort of... blahhh-burst like and stuff, and yeah, just don't show that one," Mokuba said as the car drove around. He quickly jumped in the line of the valet driver's view of Seto and paid the guy off before shoving him and telling him 'thanks' under his breath.

"What?" Yugi asked, as Mokuba came around, re-lifted his brother over his shoulder and the two assisted him around to the side.

Mokuba opened the door and helped to get his brother inside. He pressed the back of his palm against Seto's forehead, which was sweating irrefutably, "It's just... well... in a couple of pieces now."

"A couple of pieces?!" Yugi repeated, mortified.

"Yeah, but only like two or three. Look Yugi, I gotta take care of Seto, but, thanks and we'll pay for the damages, just send us the bill," He said as he jumped into the car and took the wheel.

"Wait, Mokuba," Yugi started, but it was too late as Mokuba stepped on the gas and the two brothers were out of site faster than what seemed like the speed of sound.

When Yugi finally managed to speak, he replied with a call, "You can't pay for a replacement for Ancient Egyptian artifacts, Mokuba! That's not how that works!"

The door to the gala opened to reveal Joey who seemed to have managed to get through the large crowd of people in his way, "Hey Yug, what's going on? Was that the Kaiba dorks just now?"

Yugi's gaze remained on where the Kaiba brother's ride had been moments ago before it had disappeared from sight before letting out a frustrated shake of his head and turning back to Joey.

"Hey, man, something wrong?" Joey asked, upon seeing Yugi's face.

"Yeah..." Yugi almost muttered, as he pushed back passed Joey, "I gotta do some damage control."

As the two went inside, the bright energy that had manifested itself from the tablet was on a trajectory course, seemingly knowing instinctively where to go. It traveled over the city's landscape until it found its destination, the Game Shop, where it sought out and found the fourth of its kind and swelled within it, its journey finally realized. With it, a fourth roar echoed over Domino City, which Mokuba sped across like the way Speed Racer would have if he chugged about 10 grams of caffeine prior to a race. If his brother was in any healthy state of mind, he would have likely yelled at him for risking the Lamborghini's beauty paint job. But Seto wasn't, and it was scaring him.

Seto continued to shake, though it wasn't constant and only came in bursts. He was pale and his breathing continued to be ragged and while he certainly looked like he was aware of what was going on, he just... didn't seem to care. It didn't take long for them to reach the mansion, where Mokuba haphazardly parked the car, his fear for his brother consuming him, though again, he was lucky for no damage to have been done. He jumped out of the car and ran to the other side, where he flung the door open so much so in a panic, that he almost forgot his brother had been leaning up against it and he nearly had to catch him as he opened the door.

"Sorry," He muttered, "Come on, let's get you inside."

Seto said nothing as the two slowly took the familiar path into the mansion. Mokuba felt torn about the fact that they rarely employed anyone at the Kaiba Estate because while the privacy was nice at the moment, it would have been so much easier to get Seto up to his room with an extra body to help. Mokuba let his brother lie down before pulling the sheets off of the rarely used bed and running over to the private bathroom. Swiftly, he got a damp towel and some over the counter medicine, which he brought into his brother's main room. Seto had turned to his side away from Mokuba at this point.

"Nii-sama, come on, turn this way so that I can..." Mokuba started, but as he did, he suddenly let go of Seto's shoulder, which he had grabbed in an attempt to turn Seto towards him.

He hadn't realized it, but Seto's face... he was still crying. Not in a heavy way, but it had made damp tracks across his face that seemed relentless in their aim to stain him.

"Nii-...sama?" Mokuba asked.

Seto looked up at his brother, perhaps for the first time since the whole thing with the tablet had occurred, aware that someone was next to him. He then looked off to his left hand, which still held the cards. He moved his body away from Mokuba again before muttering, "I want to sleep."

Mokuba paused, unsure of what exactly to do, "But... Nii-sama..."

"Please... I just... I want to be alone," Seto said softly.

Seto closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, he found Mokuba looking at him dead in the eyes from the other side of the bed.

"You will be okay?" Mokuba inquired again, worriedly.

Seto slowly stretched out his right arm and patted Mokuba on the head, something he hadn't done since Mokuba was young, "Yes.. I promise."

His voice was shaky, but firm in his resolution to keep his promise. Mokuba reluctantly nodded before standing up.

"Okay..." He said, touching his brother's outstretched hand that was on his head, "But call me if you need anything, okay? I'll be right there..."

Seto nodded as Mokuba stood up and his brother's messy head of hair slipped from between his fingers. Mokuba left the bathroom items on Seto's bedside table and slowly walked out before shutting the door. He leaned against it, deep in thought. Even at seventeen, the thought of losing his brother terrified him. After all, they were all the other hand. What would he do without him?

"You better keep your promise," He whispered, before standing up from his resting point and walking off to his own bedroom, where he would likely stay up in for the rest of the night until the next morning when he would know if his brother truly was okay.

Inside Seto's room, the elder of the two laid on his side. He didn't really care that he was still in his suit, that his shoes were still on, and that he had sweat through his button up. He felt ill. Like he had lost something very dear to him. And like his heart had been ripped out and stitched back together, though not with all of the pieces. He held his cards tightly in his hand. He wasn't quite sure what had happened. He thought he should have felt anger. After all, this had to be Yugi's fault. He did something. He was messing with him. But...

It felt so real and it made him sick. Not like a stomach ache that could come and go, but like something grasping at his intestines, scratching, clawing, for a way out while also nestling into the crevices, to the point where it made his very core shake in a kind of agony. Two more tears fell from his eyes again.

 _"What is... happening to me?"_ He thought, before he turned onto his back and succumbed to the sheer exhaustion that came from the strain that had affected his very soul.

 **-YGO-**

It had been a disaster after that. Upon returning to the tablets, Yugi was mortified to find the Blue Eyes' tablet completely destroyed, split into three separate parts on the ground, glass littering the ground. It was worse when Ishizu had found him at the scene before anyone else. Thankfully, she still held a great amount of respect for him as he had been Atem's vessel, but still... it looked bad. Pegasus had gone silent at the news and had reluctantly agreed to forego the reveal of the tablets, though that had been the goal of the whole gala. To their luck though, that hadn't been revealed to the public, so there was only a financial loss. Pegasus didn't voice any anger or outrage at either Ishizu or Yugi, but Yugi could tell that Pegasus was at the very least perturbed.

Abandoning the party to assist with the clean up, Yugi had laid his jacket off to the side and rolled up his sleeves as they began the painstaking process of photographing and documenting each piece of the shattered tablet, which had to happen before clean up could really begin. By 2 in the morning, he was thoroughly exhausted and felt close to passing out, so when Ishizu put a hand on his shoulder, he felt closer to falling over rather than comforted, which had clearly been her intent.

"Yugi, you should rest. You're still not adjusted to the time zone yet," She said gently.

"I'll... be fine..." Yugi muttered.

She stood up, crossed her arms, and shook her head at him, "Pegasus has a car waiting out front for you. Now go."

"But-"

"Go. We'll be fine. We're likely to finish up here within an hour anyway. We can pick this up tomorrow," She said.

He looked back at the ground, still strewn with broken remnants, and sighed, "Okay."

She smiled at him, handing him his coat and gesturing towards the door. He took it with barely strength in his grasp and trudged out to the side door, where indeed, a car provided by Pegasus was waiting for him. His stomach churned a bit. The guilt in his throat seemed to build even as the driver opened the door for him and he got in. He didn't deserve a ride after what had happened. He shouldn't have shown the Kaiba brothers the tablets early. It had been a foolish decision. But even still... something just didn't seem to add up in his head. For starters, what on earth could the Kaiba brothers had done to the tablet to cause that kind of destruction. Even if they had knocked it over, it shouldn't have crumbled like that. There was no way... And the roar... He felt a lump in his throat. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but... it really did sound like the Blue Eyes. So why had it sounded?

The driver stopped at the front door. Climbing out, Yugi thanked him before the car drove off into the distance. He opted to go in through the back since he hadn't gotten the chance to grab the key from Joey to the Game Shop. He didn't even make it up the stairs, instead falling face first onto the couch. He felt the box in his pocket awkwardly be pressed into his side and shifted his weight to alleviate the pain. He pulled out the box and stared at it. Well... that had been a failure.

He placed the box on the table and let his eyes close. He'd have to find another time. Maybe after work... tomorrow... he thought as his consciousness left him and his vision faded into oblivion. For exhausted as he was, his dreams seemed to be rather vibrant. He felt the warmth and the wind with the grainy sand that only came from the depths of Egypt's ancient cities. The objects from the past seemed to glimmer back to life in his hands as he picked them up from their resting places, everything suddenly holding a royal glow. He turned his head to see the tablet with Atem's image engraved upon it, the image blurry and seeming to produce a form. He reached for it only to fall through to the ground, the darkness starting to engulf the area near him as he looked around. He turned back to the tablet, which was now a mirror. But he didn't see himself. He saw him.

"Atem!" He yelled, banging on the mirror, "Atem!"

Atem looked at him with a kind smile, the way only Atem managed to pull off, but said nothing. Yugi continued to yell, "Atem! I'll get you out of there! I'm coming! Just wait! Wait right there!"

He stopped banging on the mirror when he saw Atem's hand reach out to touch the mirror. Their fingertips touched and Yugi could feel them, actually feel them, before Atem smiled one more time and began to fade away like sand.

"No! Atem! Don't go! No! Don't leave!" Yugi screamed, but it was too late.

As the last sand erased Atem from his presence, Yugi found his eyes snap open and he gasped, sitting upright. He breathed heavily, recalling everything that he could of the dream. He rarely had these dreams anymore, but every time, he tried to remember all that he could. Perhaps some clue, some message, anything... but he couldn't decipher anything. He feared that perhaps these dreams were nothing, despite how real they felt. Maybe he was deluding himself with this search, not to mention indulging in a selfish desire to see the dead. What made Atem immune from the rules of the grave? Nothing... he was so stupid and so foolish... He brought his knees up to his chest as he regained control of his breathing. Looking around and glancing at the clock, he realized that the game shop was due to open soon. Not hearing anything sounding remotely like Joey, he sighed and got up, entering the shop from the house entrance. He should have known that Joey would slack on opening the shop on time.

Twisting the doorknob, he found himself behind the counter, the lights all off. He turned to his left and flicked on the light switch. But when he turned to his right, he stopped dead in his tracks. On the floor, behind the counter was a girl, in the midst of stirring from sleep. Her hair was white, with hints of blue shimmering through out, and she was about the palest person he had ever seen. But what really caught his eyes right away was the fact that she was entirely and completely without clothes on. He gulped hard as he watched her stir. She sat up and shook her head before she looked up at him with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Her eyes widened upon seeing him and as she realized her situation, she collapsed to the ground in a nervous, shaking bow.

"My Pharaoh, I... forgive me."

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** Mwhahahaha, and there goes the Ancient Egyptian Magic at work. Stick with me on this one though, I have a logical… ish explanation that they will arrive at eventually… sort of. Someone might have to spell it out for them. Anyway though, hope you enjoyed it! Let me know and I'll see you lovelies later!

~Rena


	4. Chapter Four: 記憶喪失 (Kioku Soushitsu)

**Disclaimer:** If I owned YGO, then I'd be a very rich person and would be traveling a lot more. Alas, I am not and thus, my excursions are limited.

 **Author's Note:** I always try to update in a timely manner and for some reason, that just never seems to happen. Ah, well, just means there's room for improvement. In any case, we continue the journey now. Enjoy!

Today's chapter title means "Amnesia".

 ** _Terms -_** None today! So just some fun facts that tie in with the story…

Western vs. Japanese Styled Homes - In the story, Yugi's house is styled more like a traditional Japanese home, with a "genkan" or entryway where people take their shoes off before entering fully into the house. The Kaiba Manor however is far more Western-styled, as one can see with the walk-in shower in this story - tall bathtubs are more common in amongst Japanese Styled Homes.

 **-YGO-**

 _"I have died everyday waiting for you_

 _Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

 _For a thousand years_

 _I'll love you for a thousand more"_

-"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri

 **Chapter Four:** **記憶喪失** **(Kioku Soushitsu)**

Unsure of what to do didn't even describe how Yugi was feeling right now. He'd had people call him Pharaoh before. That part, he could deal with, but the part that dealt with the fact that he now had a naked girl bowing in front of him was completely new and estranged to him. Thankfully, a sound jolted him out of his shock. The sound? The front door to the shop opening.

"Yug! Hey, what happened to you last night! Tea was all worried about where you—"

"Joey!" Yugi screamed, startling the bleach blonde so early in the morning, "Just… stay. Right over there."

"Huh?"

"Just. Do it," Yugi ordered.

"Yugi, wha—"

"Close your eyes!" Yugi told him.

"What?" Joey asked incredulously.

"Do it!"

"A'ight, A'ight, geez," Joey said, shutting his eyes.

"Now turn around!"

"Yugi, what on earth…"

"Just do it!" Yugi yelled at him.

With an aggravated and clearly confused sigh, Joey did as he was told and turned his back to his friend, who promptly took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders. Grabbing her by the hand, he quickly pulled her up and into the house where she stumbled before regaining her balance.

"Just.. stay here. Don't move," He said before rapidly shutting the door and barricading himself off from her in Game Shop. Joey by this point was getting annoyed and was sneakily walking backwards towards the counter.

Yugi let out a sigh before yelling in fright upon seeing Joey backing up, "What are you doing?!"

"Well, I have to open the shop up, Yug," Joey said, "Don't worry, I still got my eyes closed."

"That's not the point!" Yugi yelled at him, panic clear in his voice, "But I mean, I guess you can open your eyes now."

As Joey did so, he went ahead and asked, "Why did I have to close my eyes anyway?"

Yugi looked between Joey and the door and tried to figure out the best way to word what he had just found this morning, "Well, uh… there was this... uh… girl… in the game shop and…"

"A girl? What, she break in?"

"I don't know, but uh, yeah, anyway she…"

"By the way, Yug, where's your grandpa? He said he wanted to help reorganize the shelves today," Joey told him.

"Grandpa? Oh… he…" And that's when Yugi froze in place.

His grandpa. He gasped and ran back for the door where he had left the door and ripped it open to find the girl still there, the jacket still over her shoulders, but pulled tightly around her front. She froze in a panic upon seeing him and Joey appear from behind him, but Yugi just found himself glad that his grandpa hadn't come across a naked girl in the house alone.

"Huh?" Joey said over his shoulder, "Yug, did you…"

"Uh, no no no no, it's not like tha-," Yugi started to tell him.

But Yugi found himself being punched in the side playfully before Joey made his way forward to meet their guest, "Not sure how he managed to pick up a gal like you, you're stunning, but—"

"Joey!" Yugi yelled.

"What?!" Joey yelled back, "Look Yug, you don't have to explain it to me, I get it. Though I never took ya for-"

"No, Joey, that's not what…"

The two stopped at the sound of a stomach growling loudly. They both turned to the girl to see her shaking. Yugi looked between the two before walking towards her.

"I'll explain later," He told Joey over his shoulder as he turned his attention completely to the girl in front of him, "Um, uh, sorry about that, um… are you… how did you get here?"

The girl, well, young woman really, shook her head wordlessly, still trembling. Yugi thought for a moment before continuing, "Um, uh, what's your name?"

The young lady was quiet for a moment before a sound escaped her lips, though he couldn't quite make it out, "I'm sorry?"

She gulped down her fear before bowing her head and answering a bit louder, "My name is Kisara, my Pharaoh. I… I am your loyal subject."

"Pharaoh?" Joey asked, "Yug, is she… like, your girlfriend from Egypt or somethin'?"

"You idiot, of course not," Yugi shot back, rather frustrated.

"Hey, hey, bit early in the morning for name-callin', Yug," Joey chastised.

"I wouldn't be saying it if you didn't deserve it; I asked her what her name was after all, how could she be my girlfriend?" Yugi yelled back.

"Well, why is she here then?" Joey asked.

"How should I—"

The sound of a growl came again. The pair stopped bickering to look back at Kisara who looked mortified by her predicament. Yugi looked to Joey before sighing.

"Joey, can you make her some ramen?" He asked, "I'm going to go find her something to wear."

"Uh, ok, but um, what kind?" Joey asked.

"Any kind, just, get her something to eat," Yugi told him.

"A'ight, A'ight," Joey replied as Yugi ran up the steps.

"And don't do anything funny!" Yugi called down.

"What do you think I'm gonna to do in like 5 seconds?" Joey yelled up.

"Just make the ramen!" Yugi yelled down.

Joey rolled his eyes and caught sight of Kisara again. He blushed a bit before offering her a smile and gesturing to the table so that she could have a seat. Upstairs, Yugi ran to his bedroom, searching for anything that Kisara could wear temporarily. He found a few oversized shirts and old shorts for her before jumping down several steps at once to get back to the kitchen, where he found Joey starting a pot of ramen. Kisara looked over at him and bowed again in his presence.

He felt his muscles tighten inadvertently, but forced himself to relax, "Uh, I got you some clothes. You can change in the bathroom over there."

He held out the clothes for her. She looked at them curiously, but also cautiously. He smiled at her. Clearly, she was scared. He handed her the clothes and put a hand around to her back leading her to the bathroom.

"Don't worry, it's fine," He said, "We can talk about everything once you have something on."

She looked up at him and nodded, blushing furiously. He shut the door for her and let out a breath he must have been holding for what seemed like 30 minutes. He turned to see Joey watching him and suddenly glared.

"You're going to burn the ramen," He chided.

"Hey, if you're such an expert, you make it!" Joey yelled back.

Yugi's gaze fell to the side, "You're right, sorry, I just… Joey, I don't know who she is, or how she even got in here. The door wasn't unlocked last night was it?"

"Well, I had to unlock it, so I don't think so," Joey stated as he turned back to the ramen, "What are you saying , Yug?"

Yugi sat down and grabbed at his hair and moaned in frustration as he let his head fall onto the cool counter, "I'm saying that I'm too tired to be dealing with any of this."

"So… you didn't bring her back from the party?" Joey said.

Yugi looked up, aggravated, "No. I didn't bring her back from the party."

"Well, good, because I didn't find anyone there and that would have meant my game is slipping," Joey joked to him.

Yugi let his face fall to the counter again and he sighed, "Look, when she comes out, let me do the talking."

"Of course, my Pharaoh," Joey mocked, "After all, a lowly chef such as myself should not concern himself with such interrogations."

"Joey, I'm sorry…" Yugi began.

Joey waved the apology off as he stirred in the noodles, "I'm joking with ya, Yug. I'm the one who should be sorry. I know you're tired…. But you know, it's strange, if you don't know her, then why did she call you 'Pharaoh'?"

"I…." Yugi paused, "I don't know…"

"Well, why don't you start by finding out that then," Joey said.

Yugi nodded, "It's already on my list of questions, Joey."

The doorbell rang and they both looked up at each other. Joey gasped as the memory came back to him, "Oh! That's Tea. She was worried about you last night, so she said she was going to stop by—"

"Yugi!"

Yugi's stomach dropped. Not now. Anytime but now.

"Tea?" He asked, opening the door.

"Hey, you, you ran off last night," Tea said smiling at him and walking in like it was nothing.

"Oh, uh, yeah, there was an emergency that I had to take care of with some of the artifacts, but uh, Tea, why are you—"

She pulled at her sandals, slipping them off, "I was worried about you. You didn't answer your phone and I tried to text you, but I-"

Tea's actions came to a halt as her gaze landed on the fourth occupant in the room. Kisara had come out of the bathroom, still very confused by the whole situation, though that's not what Tea noticed first. It was the fact that she was wearing Yugi's old clothes.

"Yugi…" She started.

"I-it's not what it looks like Tea," Yugi defended, even as he realized that technically he didn't have any reason to defend himself to her, but he suddenly felt absolutely horrible inside, "She, I, I mean, I found her…"

"No, it's fine, Yugi. I didn't realize that you had company…" Tea trailed off.

As her fingers searched for her sandals again, Yugi reacted quickly, "Wait Tea, I actually, can you—"

"It's okay, I'll leave, sorry," She muttered, quickly slipping on her shoes, not even all the way on before exiting the same way that she had come in and closing the door behind her.

"Tea!" Yugi called, but she was already gone.

He groaned again. He was doing that a lot this morning. He turned to see both Joey and Kisara staring at him. Joey seemed to go red upon Yugi realizing that he was watching him and turned back to the Ramen. Kisara continued to look extremely confused, albeit, now, also looking like she had done something wrong and she knew it. Yugi pondered what to do before quickly turning to Kisara and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Kisara, who do you think I am?" He asked.

"I… uh…" She began, tensing at his grasp, "You're… you're the Pharaoh Atem."

Atem…. How did she… "Where are you from, Kisara?"

She answered with a single word, "Kmt."

"Wha?" Joey asked, as Yugi's eyes widened in realization.

"Joey, help her; I've got to go find Tea," He ordered, after which he turned back to Kisara, "Kisara, this is Joey, he'll take care of you for now. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, ok?"

He let go of her and ran towards the entrance way where he slipped on his shoes and bolted out of the door, leaving the remaining two behind, thoroughly confused and uncertain as to what was going on.

 **-YGO-**

The sight of the ceiling of his bedroom was an unfamiliar one. As he blinked and brought it into focus, Seto cast his eyes about, trying to find some indication as to how much time had passed. He found his clock to his right reading 10:21 am on the day after the gala. The gala... what had...

A knock on the door occurred, "Nii-sama? You awake?"

Seto didn't answer right away, not sure if he even wanted to see his brother at the moment.

"I'm coming in, Nii-sama," Mokuba said, ending Seto's pondering, "Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Seto said nothing as Mokuba sat a few slices of toast onto the bedside table. He felt his brother's forehead and Seto didn't complain.

"Well, no fever, that's good," Mokuba said smiling, "I was worried that might happen. You were shaking like you got tazed or something last night..."

Hearing that he had shook like he had been tazed did nothing to improve Seto's mood, so the awkward silence continued. Mokuba sat down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, waiting for any sign from his brother as to stay or go. Since he got neither, he dared to speak instead.

"So, uh, do you remember what happened last night at all?" He asked.

Seto thought for a moment. What did he remember? He remembered the ridiculous technicolored light show and that... whatever it was... light hit him. And then feeling violently ill. But not from a virus or something poison-like in nature. Rather, it was more like it had come from a deep thickness, a heaviness that had swelled in his own chest quiet suddenly and with a shock had erupted out along his veins and throughout his body, pulsating an ever present agony of some kind... it was all so foreign to him, and yet, he felt as though he had at one point, experienced the same sort of feeling before.

It had then retreated, but the jolt of the whole instance still had left him a shaken mess. Worse yet, he remembered crying. He hadn't cried since he was a child. He felt a deep seated shame reach his face, which reddened and he turned onto his side away from his brother.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba asked.

Despite his embarrassment though, he realized that... somehow, he felt better. Like, much better. Better than he had felt in ages. As if a great weight had been lifted from him, but was contingent on something... though he didn't know what or why or how that could be.

"I... remember..." He finally said, rolling over to face his brother and sit up, "But it's all very... hazy..."

"Do you want to take off work today?" Mokuba asked, concerned.

"No, I can go to work I just... hang on, did that tablet break?" He questioned.

Almost instantly, Mokuba's face of concern turned to one of panic, "Uh... well... yeah..."

"And they just let us leave after that?" Seto demanded to know, his voice rising slightly, though he felt lightheaded from sitting up so fast.

"Uh... not... exactly... I kinda told Yugi that we'd pay for the damages..." Mokuba admitted.

"You what?!" Seto yelled, startling his brother almost out of his skin.

"Well, it was kind of our fault, Nii-sama," Mokuba told him.

"How on earth is that thing breaking our fault?!" Seto yelled, before his own screaming started to make his ears ring.

He held his head as Mokuba answered, "Nii-sama, we did sort of trigger...whatever exactly happened."

"As if!" Seto retorted, but again, his yelling got the better of him, "It was probably one of Yugi's messed up... whatever, magic tricks to get us onboard with the rest of his delusions."

Mokuba's face of doubt was so obvious that even a blind person could have noticed, "Nii-sama, that's a little... just... I think you're grasping at straws on this one."

"Well, how else do you explain it?" Seto demanded under his breath.

Mokuba paused, unsure of what to say. From what he had seen... well, it wasn't a hologram. And even if it had been, that didn't explain why his brother had suddenly gotten sick and he hadn't. If something had been in the air, they both would have been subject to it. But to say that it had to do with mystical forces at play was suicide in Seto's presence.

"I... I don't know, but we triggered it, so we've got to pay for it," Mokuba stated, getting up from Seto's side.

"No, we're not about to pay for it," Seto said, uncovering himself from the blankets and making ready to stand up. He only paused momentarily upon noticing that his shoes from the night before were still on, "We're going to confront Yugi about his shenanigans and force him to work for Pegasus for the rest of his life to make up for the damages."

"Uh... Nii-sam-" A shirt hitting him in the face cut off any attempts at arguing.

"We leave in twenty," Seto said heading to the shower, leaving behind a very confused brother to pick up after him.

Slamming the door to the bathroom shut, Seto proceeded to get into the shower unabated by anything else. The steam from the hot water quickly filled up the room. Normally, he wasn't one for hot showers, but today, the burning felt particularly good on his skin. Frustrated was one word for how he was feeling right now, but at the same time... relieved was another. It was the oddest combination of sensations. As much as he wanted to be mad at Yugi, he felt so invigorated that it was hard to be upset at anything.

 _'Think of the bill,'_ He thought, _'Think of the bill.'_

Reaching for the lever, Seto shot a cold burst of water onto himself before ending his shower. Grabbing a towel from over the side of the shower wall, he dropped it over his wet head limply and breathed in deeply before stepping out and wrapping it around his waist. Using his arm, he wiped away the fog from the mirror. Looking at his reflection, there was nothing particularly remarkable. He appeared the same as he always did. But something just... was different. He felt it, he... His gaze dropped to his feet.

No, there was nothing different. He was just imagining things. It did no good to picture in his mind something so good. Because good things are always taken away. He'd learned that lesson numerous times the hard way. Sighing, he exited the bathroom, intent on extracting an explanation from Yugi one way or another.

-YGO-

Tea walked towards the train station at a brisk pace, her mind racing with questions. Who was that girl? Why hadn't Yugi said anything about her? And why had she been wearing Yugi's clothes? Had Yugi been with her last night after he had left? And why couldn't she stop trying to figure out how Yugi knew her and what she meant to him? She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even hear her name being called. Not until Yugi grabbed her by the shoulder did she even notice he was there.

Letting out a brief scream, Tea caught her breath before speaking, "Yugi! Wha... what are you doing here?"

"Tea, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm... I'm fine," She answered, trying not to look bothered, "Why?"

"I... I just, I think you might have gotten the wrong idea," Yugi said hesitantly, "I... that is... I don't know that girl, it's just..."

Tea looked at him skeptically, "You don't know her?"

"Not in the slightest!" Yugi told her earnestly, "Look, I know that this sounds far-fetched, but that girl, I, she was just in the game shop when I opened it this morning."

Tea glared at Yugi, smelling a lie, "Okay, Yugi, I don't know what you gain by lying to me. So explain to me this: why on earth would a customer be wearing your clothes?"

"Huh?" Yugi asked surprised by the finger now pointing at him directly between the eyes, "Uh, no, wait, let me explain... from the beginning."

Tea crossed her arms in mute anticipation. Yugi could tell she was skeptical and why wouldn't she be? But then, why was she so mad? Did she maybe like him?

Gaining a weird bit of confidence from the hope, Yugi started again, "Okay, so last night, I ended up working late at the Gala because of an emergency with the artifacts and then I came home and collapsed, right? So I woke up this morning and went to open the game shop, but there she was inside before I even opened the front door."

"Wait, she broke in?" Tea asked surprised and slightly doubtful.

"Well, I don't know, I don't think so though because she... well... she was... she didn't have clothes on..." Yugi stated slowly.

Tea stared at him, eyes wide at the statement, "She... was naked?"

"Yeah and then, she uh, she bowed to me and called me 'Pharaoh'," Yugi said, before wincing in anticipation for Tea to yell at him as by saying it out loud, he realized it sounded like some sort of sick fetish...

So when nothing came, but a soft voice, surprise and relief were only the beginning of what he felt, "You... you swear you're not lying to me?"

"Huh?" Yugi said, "Of course not! I'd never lie to you!"

Tea brought a hand up to her chin in thought as Yugi nervously waited for what she would say next, "She... she really called you 'Pharaoh'? Have you ever seen her before?"

"No, I've never seen her," Yugi answered honestly, "I don't know why she would call me 'Pharaoh'. After all, only a few people even knew about Atem..."

Despite the desperateness of the situation at hand, Yugi felt a lump forming in his throat at the mention of Atem. He shouldn't be thinking about him right now...

"You swear you're not fooling around with me?" Tea asked, bringing him out of his train of thought.

"Tea, I swear," Yugi said, "I promise."

Slowly, a smile crept across her face and she looked at Yugi kindly with a sigh, "Well, then, let's not leave her with Joey. Sounds like a bad combination."

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Yugi said, and they began to run back to the shop.

It didn't take them too long to get back and when they did, they found Joey and Kisara sitting at the counter, Kisara with a pair of chopsticks in hand and Joey with another pair in his.

"Yug!" Joey said, relief sweeping across his face, "Thank goodness you're back. Where are your forks and spoons? She doesn't know how to use chopsticks."

"What?" Yugi said in surprise.

"You heard me," Joey said, looking exhausted, "Tried showing her, but the ramen keeps slipping from her grasp."

"Top drawer on the right below the microwave," Yugi told him as he and Tea went over to the counter.

"Kisara?" Yugi asked.

Kisara looked at him, once again, a nervousness crossing her face and she couldn't seem to speak. Yugi decided to fill the void.

"My name is Yugi Muto," Yugi said, "And you've met Joey here and this is Tea."

Tea gave a slight bow and held out a hand, "It's nice to meet you!"

Kisara looked at the hand before gradually lifting her own to shake Tea's with a nod of her chin, though she still looked very confused. She glanced back to Yugi and he took it as a sign that he could continue.

"I think... we both have questions for one another..." Yugi said calmly, "Do you mind if I go first?"

Kisara shook her head allowing him to continue, "Well... um, what were you doing in the game shop before it opened?"

The white haired woman thought before a soft voice escaped her lips, "Um... I don't know. I don't remember."

"Do you um... do you know why uh... why you didn't have clothes on?" Yugi asked gently.

"No... no, I'm so sorry, my King. I... allowing you to see myself in such a state... I know you must think I'm a temptress..." She almost begged in apology.

"Ha, you're so pretty, you wouldn't have to be naked for us to think that," Joey said in jest, "Pretty sure Tea's reaction was enough to prove tha- ow!"

Joey stopped dead in his tracks when Tea elbowed him hard in the ribs to get him to stop talking. Yugi rolled his eyes before continuing his questions.

"Um... do you have any family or friends... or well, wait... um..." He paused, not sure which question to lead with when one came to mind, "Kisara... why do you call me Pharaoh or King?"

She tilted her head in perplexition, "You... you are the Pharaoh Atem are you not? Those in the royal city... we all know you, Pharaoh... you are really he, yes?"

The three friends caught one another's gaze before Yugi answered what Tea at the very least realized must have been a little hard for Yugi to say, "Um, no, I'm not him. Atem had to seal away an evil power and with it, his soul. I am... his reincarnation of sorts and I was his vessel as his quest to make it back to the other side unfolded... but it's been about 5000 years since he sealed away that darkness... in other words... it's been 5000 years since anyone has seen him. So... I'm not... sure how it's possible for you to have seen him..."

Kisara sat dumbstruck by the information being given to her, her blue eyes widening it seemed incrementally with every word. Her voice began to shake when she finally spoke, "So... you mean... I... this is not... Kmt?"

Yugi shook his head, "No... was that... where your home was?"

Kisara tilted her head slightly as she meagerly answered, "I... I don't remember... but I remember last being in Kmt..."

"Kemet?" Tea asked.

"That's what Ancient Egyptians called Egypt," Yugi explained, before turning back to Kisara who appeared even more startled.

"A... ancient?" She mustered.

Yugi nodded as Kisara seemed to begin piecing things together in her head, "Then... I... I'm... and you said you're..."

"Atem's former vessel and reincarnation," Yugi filled in.

Kisara's expression was blank. Yugi half expected her to cry, but for some reason, she didn't. Silence lingered in the room. Kisara brought a hand up to her lips and held herself in a kind of half hug.

"Kisara?" Yugi said, "I'm sorry, but... what was the last thing you remember?"

Nothing seemed to strike her right away. She seemed to recall sensations. Like the heat and sand. Her mouth dry and a river, the Nile, taunting her with dangerous water... places... but it was all empty of details and familiar people...

"I... don't remember anything," She said finally.

"Do you remember your friends or family?" Joey asked.

She looked up at him surprised by the question. She thought. Deep in her chest, she felt that there should be something, someone... with a kind face, like the one Joey and the rest of them were giving her now, but she couldn't recall.

"I... no... no one," She remarked.

The three sat there, taking in everything Kisara had said. Tea and Joey seemed to be the most lost, while Yugi's mind was already ready to work out the puzzle. He stood up startling all of them before turning to Tea.

"Tea, can you take Kisara to your place, lend her some clothes?" He asked.

"Uh, sure but, Yugi… do you know how…" She began.

"I think I have an idea… maybe. It might have something to do with the tablet breaking last night," Yugi said, then facing Kisara smiled, "Kisara, I know this is hard but, we're going to help you okay? We'll get you home. In the meantime, will you trust us?"

Kisara's eyes watched Yugi's intently, after which she nodded and asked, "You said… tablet… what tablet?"

"I'm an archeologist," Yugi explained, "I unearth things from the past, specifically from Kemet. Last night, one of those things got destroyed accidentally. I'm going to go back to the scene and see if I can find anything that might link your arrival in this time to it, alright?"

Kisara nodded slowly as Tea also stood up to go over and sit next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Don't worry, Yugi's a genius at games and puzzles. He'll figure out how to get you home. But in the meantime, let's go get you something that doesn't make you look like you're wearing a school boy's outfit."

"School boy?" Kisara asked.

"Yeah, trust me, I have much cuter things to wear," Tea told her.

"Hey, we pulled off the school boy look just fine when we were in school," Joey argued.

"Yeah, but it wasn't cute," Tea interjected.

Yugi smiled. He could always rely on them. Nothing had changed, "Joey, can you tell Grandpa where I went? I'll try to be back soon… and open the game shop now."

Joey winked, "'Course Yug. We'll be here."

"Right," Yugi replied, "Kisara... I'll figure out what's going on, I promise. So don't worry alright?"

Kisara nodded in understanding. Yugi gave her one more brief smile before heading straight for the door, where he paused before turning back to her.

He had one last question, "Kisara, just curious, have you ever heard of the Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

Tea and Joey's eyes widened in surprise, but Kisara's face remained undisturbed as she answered, "Um... no, I've never heard of it."

Yugi nodded, a dark look on his face. That had surprised him. He would have thought, what with her hair and eye color... but that didn't matter. There could still be some kind of connection...

"It's alright; I'll see you later then okay?" He said, before he was out the door and into the garage where his bicycle was.

He checked the air pressure and once he was sure that Joey had been maintaining it/borrowing it, he swung his leg over it. It was hardly a horse, like the ones back in Egypt that they road to get to the more difficult terrains, but it would do. Pushing off, he jetted out towards downtown Domino City, determined to find whatever it was that he had missed last night.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So when I went to Kyoto, I rode a bike for the first time in like ten years. It's true, you never forget, but it sure is scary at first after so long! But you know what's also scary? How quickly the end of the year is coming our way! Seriously, what happened to Fall? In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know and stay tuned for more!

Later,

~Rena


	5. Chapter Five: 攻撃 (Kougeki)

**Disclaimer:** I have an autograph from Eric Stuart, but I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!".

 **Author's Note:** Look at that! Another chapter. I actually have a bit of backlog right now, so I'm trying to update a little quicker these days. I like to let chapters sit for a bit before I go back and revise them too, that way you all get the best results! ;) Anyway, onto the chapter!

Today's Chapter Title means "Attack". Other synonyms include "Strike", "Criticism", "Denunciation" and "Condemnation".

 _Terms -_

Again, amazingly, none. Enjoy!

 **Chapter Five:** **攻撃** **(Kougeki)**

Yugi skidded to a halt and quickly locked up his bike upon arriving at the site of last night's gala. Showing his ID, he got access to the inside where he found Ishizu, as she had said, right there waiting for him in the morning. She eyed him oddly.

"Yugi… why are you in your clothes from last night?" She asked.

Finally noticing it himself, Yugi ran a hand through his hair, "Uh… busy morning and I, uh, I didn't get the chance to change."

"You could have changed before you came…" Ishizu said hesitantly, but not before Yugi had already gotten down to the floor to start examining the broken tablet.

"I was uh, kinda in a rush," He managed, his eyes now completely focused on the pieces at hand.

Ishizu's eyes narrowed in suspicion that Yugi wasn't completely elaborating on why he had been in such a rush to get there, but she decided not to push and instead changed the subject, "Pegasus is trying to get information on how the exhibitors set up the tablets, thinking they may have made an error… he should be in later this afternoon…"

Yugi said nothing, carefully picking up pieces from around the edges that had broken off. Everything still looked the same, the etchings, the hieroglyphs…

"Yugi," Ishizu said, "We've already cataloged all of the pieces, you remember that right?"

"Huh?" He said, being brought out of his thought process, "Oh, yeah, uh, I know. That's not what I'm looking for though."

"What are you looking for?" She asked.

"Something… something… I don't know… something hidden…" He said in a rather discoherently phrased explanation.

"Wh—" She began when a security guard came up to her.

"Ms. Ishitar, we are having trouble up front with an unwelcomed guest. Could you come reason with him?"

Ishizu nodded, "I'll be back Yugi."

Yugi hardly seemed to notice. He was in his zone so to speak. Sighing, Ishizu made her way to the front, anticipating a difficult conversation ahead. Out front, the Adventor had screeched to a stop and Seto had exited it so swiftly that Mokuba almost choked on his seatbelt as he tried to get out and follow.

"Nii-sama, you're going to get towed," He said.

"Let them try it," Seto said venomously.

Mokuba's eyes widened. If this had been the time of Knights and Swords and Kings and Round Tables, well, Seto would have been out for blood. Why there were here and not at the game shop though was beyond Mokuba. Perhaps it was his brother's instincts? Reaching the door, Seto grabbed a man standing guard by the lapels.

"I'm looking for Yugi Muto. Where is he?" He demanded.

"Sir, no one without ID can…"

"Where. Is. He?" Seto seethed.

"I'm sorry, but we can't…" The man never finished as Seto threw him to the ground, "Security we need help out here."

"Do you know who I am? I'm Seto Kaiba and I demand to be let in or so help me, I'll make sure Pegasus' newest holographics lag until cancer has been cured," He said.

Until Cancer has been cured? Mokuba couldn't help but wince at his brother's rather crud comment. He really was pushing it… The door from inside opened to reveal Ishizu and both brothers turned their attention to her.

"Ishizu, where is Yugi?" Seto practically barked, though Ishizu seemed unfazed.

"He is working; I take it you want to see him?" Seto silent glare was all she needed as an answer, "He can come through."

She turned to lead them, but was surprised to see Seto pass by her with long strides, "Wait, Kaiba, you can't…"

"Watch me," He called back.

Mokuba looked between the two before apologetically glancing at Ishizu and following after his brother. He wasn't sure how Seto could remember the way to the backroom when he barely remembered what happened last night, but he didn't have time to really consider that as Seto banged the doors open to the back where the broken tablet remained. And there was Yugi. He didn't even seem to notice them. Mokuba's stomach lurched. Seto wouldn't like that…

He was right. Infuriated, Seto marched over to Yugi where he grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him up and into the nearest wall. Yugi gasped, dropping what he had been holding in order to grab Seto's wrists which were now holding him a few inches above the ground.

"Kai.. ba… wha.."

"That's what I would like to ask, Muto," Seto seethed, "What kind of crap was that last night? And you think we're going to pay for this little game of yours? I used to think Joey was the idiot out of the bunch of you, but you're starting to get up there yourself."

"Kaiba…I can't… bre…" Seto released him, letting Yugi fall to the floor.

"Nii-sama…" Mokuba began.

"I want an explanation, Yugi. Now," Seto demanded.

Yugi winced, but stood up, rather unfazed by the vicious attack, "Kaiba, I didn't do anything…"

"Don't give me that line, Yugi," Seto threatened.

"But I didn't!" Yugi yelled, "I'm serious. I wasn't expecting anything to…"

"Then what was that last night, I want answers, Muto," Seto told him.

Yugi rubbed the back of his head, "I'm trying to figure that out, okay, but Kaiba… it would really help if you could tell me what you saw…"

"What I saw?" Seto asked, incredulously, "How should I know?"

"Well, what happened?" Yugi yelled back, a little irritated now, "I can't piece together a puzzle without all of the pieces."

It was at this point, Mokuba interjected, "Yugi… that tablet, it had the Blue Eyes on it right?"

The two young adults looked at him, surprised by the interruption, but Yugi nodded in confirmation.

"Well, Nii-sama didn't believe me when I said that and so we were comparing it to the cards when it just… kinda lit up and this wind appeared out of nowhere. Then Nii-sama got ill when something shot out of the tablet and…"

"Mokuba, that's enough," Seto said sternly.

"Something shot out?" Yugi asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, it was a bright light or something… and it just left the area…" Mokuba finished uncertainly, before looking over at his brother, who looked rather disgusted by the whole retelling.

Yugi turned back to the tablet. The larger chunks were still face down on the ground, but the wheels started to spin in his head. If he could see it again…

"Muto," Seto said bringing him back, "If you don't give me an explanation in two seconds, so help me I'll…"

"Kaiba, I think you released something," Yugi said, spinning around, "Listen, this morning when I woke up there was this…"

But Seto seemed beyond waiting and pushed Yugi out of the way before picking up a stone on the ground.

"Yugi, I've respected your prowess in Duel Monsters for years, but this," He shook the rock in his hand, "This is ancient history. It's over. Nothing can be released. Once things are gone, they're gone, that's it, end of story. If you want to learn about it for the sake of Duel Monsters and becoming a better duelist, then fine, but I wish you'd recognize and see these things for what they are. Rocks. Stones. There's no magic and there's no reviving or releasing or whatever… you can't bring things back from the past!"

He flung the stone to the ground, making everyone in the room wince, before he finished, "So do me a favor. Leave your magic tricks at home and stay away from me while you're here. It'll be good when you're back in Egypt because you can take your delusions with you."

Mokuba shut his eyes. He hated to see his brother like this. Angry and taking it out on others. He'd tried numerous times before to help tame that side of Seto, but sometimes he just… lost it. And in those times, he knew there was nothing he could do. Yugi looked down at the stone that Kaiba had thrown to the floor. Carefully, he picked it up and dusted it off.

"Fine, Kaiba," Yugi said, "But thank you for coming. You might have given me another piece to the puzzle with your recount of what happened."

"Whatever. Go ahead and do your puzzles," Seto said, "I'm leaving."

With that, Seto strode out of the room like it was no one's business. Mokuba quickly walked over to Yugi and handing him a slip of paper before following after Seto. Yugi opened it up to see a check with a note. "Shhh. Don't tell. Hope this covers it."

Yugi wanted to smile at the note, but for some reason he couldn't. He knelt down next to the broken tablet. It made him sad to see Kaiba wish for a dissolution of their friendship. Maybe that's not really what he wanted, but… it sure sounded like it. And it worried him. Because if this had something to do with the Blue Eyes, there was no way that he could avoid Kaiba forever. Sighing, he went back to work. He had to get the pieces lifted and see carvings. Only then would he have any sort of decent chance of figuring out what had brought Kisara here. Only then….

 **-YGO-**

As soon as Mokuba got into the car, they were off so quickly that Mokuba almost felt like he was going to lose his lunch and he hadn't even had lunch yet.

"Whoa, whoa, Nii-sama, you trying to break the sound barrier?" He asked, panicked.

Seto remained quiet though and continued to floor it as they drove down the familiar roads straight away to their company's headquarters. Mokuba wasn't a white knuckled flier, but with Seto driving the way he was, Mokuba would have been surprised if his face had held any color in it at all, let alone his knuckles. Finally, they screeched to a halt in the front of KaibaCorp. Seto got out, completely unfazed by the ride, and tossed his keys to the valet. It took the valet getting in for Mokuba to actually realize that it was safe to get out.

Awkwardly, he scrambled out to follow Seto who was heading inside without a word and it was at that moment that he suddenly felt overwhelmed with anger, "Nii-sama!"

Seto turned around, looking at Mokuba with a confused expression, "What?"

"The heck were you doing back there?!" Mokuba screamed, "You could have gotten us killed! And all over what you call a prank? What is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing is wrong with me," Seto argued back, "Come on..."

"No, you come on!" Mokuba yelled, shaking off Seto's attempt to direct him inside.

Seto's startled expression only served to hurt his younger brother more, who looked at the ground, heavily breathing like he'd run a marathon, "Mokuba?"

He moved to place a hand on Mokuba's shoulder when Mokuba swatted him away again, "No, don't touch me... Nii-sama... I... You know, I've watched you for years. Years and years and all you ever do is push people away. I mean, what even was that in there? Yugi's back for all of a day and you're practically assaulting him!"

"I did not assault-"

"Yes you did!" Mokuba yelled back, "You're so freakin' paranoid all the time and obsessed with your pride. And you know, admitting that Yugi might be right or onto something isn't going to kill you. There are tons of things in this world we still don't understand yet and-"

"Mokuba, where is this all coming fr-"

"No! Let me finish. You spend all your time creating holograms so real that you could practically touch them, but you fail to realize that they are just that, holograms. They're nothing. You can't touch them. Why can't you just try to interact with something, someone real for a change? And not just me... I don't want you to use me as an excuse anymore..." Mokuba trailed off, "I want you to have friends..."

Seto watched as his brother's shoulders slumped in depression and a twinge of guilt seemed to trickle into the back of his head. He sighed.

"Mokuba, you shouldn't get so worked up over this. I'm sorry... if I scared you though..." Seto said gently, "But I'm not trying to use you as an excuse. I'm just not interested in being associated with a guy who believes he's an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh."

Mokuba looked up at his brother, skepticism written all over his face, "Nii-sama, Yugi doesn't believe that and you know it. And besides..."

Mokuba searched his brother, as though seeing something that Seto himself was unaware of, "Besides... whatever it is that Yugi is trying to find, it did something last night and you... something is off..."

Seto's right eyebrow shot up in question as Mokuba walked passed him towards the entrance to KaibaCorp. He turned to see his brother, though words were locked in his throat. Right before Mokuba reached the door though, he found the key.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Mokuba looked over his shoulder and shrugged, "I don't know; you're just... oddly... lighter? No, I don't know. Not that it's a bad thing, just... whatever it is, don't let your pride get in the way of being happy..."

"Happy? You think I'm happy?" Seto questioned.

"I didn't say that, I just mean... you're... oh, come on, let's just go inside," Mokuba finally said.

Mokuba entered the building, leaving his brother dumbfounded at the site. Happy? That was an odd word to use to describe someone who had just yelled at his arch rival. Why would Mokuba even think that... and yet, his shoulders didn't feel so heavy and he was less inclined to scowl at the moment than he normally was... Moving his legs forward, Seto forced himself to walk forward, though he wasn't even sure why.

He just wanted to keep going, just as he always had.

 **-YGO-**

The walk and train ride to Tea's had been a rather eventful one for Kisara. This place, wherever it was, was huge. Sleek. Clean. New. And silently magical. Tea had laughed when Kisara had been afraid of the train and hesitant to get inside. Then as they sat down and watched the buildings pass by, she watched as Kisara's eyes widened upon seeing the city pass by around them. It was so… beautiful to her. She'd never seen anything like it.

Their stop eventually came and they proceeded into Tea's small apartment, "Well, this is me."

Opening the door, she revealed a modest little apartment, no more than 10 tatami mats in size. From what Kisara could tell, it was just one room. Tea led her to a cushion on the floor.

"Have a seat while I find some clothes for you," She said.

Kisara nodded, watching as Tea opened a wall to reveal another room via a sliding door. She opened a closet and began to dig around inside.

"Hmm…. You have such pale skin… don't want to wash you out…" Tea mused, "Do you have any favorite colors?"

Kisara thought for a moment before answering, "Blue."

Tea laughed, "Alright, I don't have much in the way of blue, but I'm sure I have something…"

She rummaged around a bit more until she dug out a few options, "You chose a difficult color. I have more warm colors, but I have this top and skirt. Why don't you give these a try?"

Kisara nodded, taking the stunning clothes gratefully before doing as Tea had requested. The outfit suited her quite nicely. Normally Tea wouldn't have put those together, but on Kisara, it looked very pretty, especially with how the ruffles flared, making her legs look stunningly slim.

"You look great!" She exclaimed.

"I do?" Kisara asked.

"Yeah, do you want to see yourself?" Tea asked, dragging her into the bedroom by the mirror.

Kisara gaped, "These are… incredible."

"What, the clothes or you?" Tea said, laughing, "Welcome to the 21st century, Kisara."

Kisara smiled awkwardly and started to run her fingers through her hair. Tea noticed and pulled Kisara over to the seat cushions again before pulling out a brush.

"Let's brush your hair. You have quite a lot of it. It's very pretty," She said.

"Thank you…" Kisara answered, "Um… Tea?"

"Yeah?" Tea said as the two girls sat down and she began to brush out Kisara's hair.

"What… what are you and Joey to the Pha—I mean, Yugi?" She said hesitantly.

"What are we? We're his friends!" Tea told her positively.

"His friends?" She asked, "Then you do not work for him?"

Tea laughed, "No no, not at all. We met in school and have been friends ever since."

"You said… school… so you are all well off?" Kisara asked, again, careful with her words.

Tea shook her head, though Kisara couldn't see, "Oh no, not really. Everyone goes to school to get an education… though I guess they didn't in Egypt did they?"

"Egypt?"

"Oh, sorry, uh… Kemet?" Tea corrected herself.

"Oh… yes, that was reserved for regality or those serving royals…" Kisara said trailing off.

"Ah… yeah, I guess that makes sense," Tea commented, "But no, anyone can go to school today. None of us are rich. I'm working my way through dancing school right now actually. Yugi graduated already, but I'm pretty sure he used money from his Duel Monsters tournaments to get through school… Joey didn't go, but our other friend, Tristan, is working through grad school right now too. So yeah, the only one with any money out of us is Kaiba, but he's a genius and already had a career path so go figure, he didn't have to go…"

"Kaiba?"

"Oh, you haven't met him yet, but I'm sure you will at some point," Tea said, "Whenever Yugi comes back into town, they always end up dueling. Honestly, kinda surprised it hasn't happened yet…"

"Dueling?" Kisara asked.

Tea realized she hadn't explained properly, "Uh, it's well, it's a card game where you use monster, trap, and spell cards to defeat your opponent in a 'duel'. It's actually pretty cool since they use holograms and such now."

Kisara quietly took in everything Tea was telling her. So dueling was a card game and done with something called holograms today. She focused on the sensation of Tea brushing her hair free of knots. She was so confused and wished she could remember what had happened. How she had gotten in Yugi's home. Why she remembered a time that was clearly from centuries ago. And now... where did she belong? How was she going to live? Somehow, the feeling that she had ever had a home seemed alluded her. So how was she to find one here?

"Hey, so, this may be a bit presumptuous but, for now, would you like to stay here? I mean, I have an extra futon and it would be better than staying with the boys, right?" Tea asked, seeming to answer the most pressing of Kisara's questions without even meaning too.

Kisara turned her head to see Tea, the sincerity in her question startling. After a moment of the two girls looking at one another in the eye, Kisara spoke, "That is... very kind of you. But... I do not want to be a burden."

Tea laughed, "It's no burden at all. We'll find your home eventually right?"

Kisara hesitated as the thought filled her mind: What if she never had a home? It was too much to ask Tea to let her live with her... "I... Tea, I... I don't understand. Why are you being so kind to me? We have only met today and there are so many unknowns..."

Tea thought for a moment before shrugging, "Well, it's what you do when you see someone in need right? And just because we only met a few hours ago, it doesn't mean that we can't become good friends. And it probably won't be permanent; after all, we'll find your home eventually and you can move back there, right?"

Kisara's eyes cast themselves down, "But... what if we can't find my home? What if I don't have one?"

Tea again shrugged before standing up and pulling Kisara to her feet too, "Well, we'll just have to make you one then."

Bewildered by the outstretched, unprovoked kindness being given to her, slowly, a small, grateful smile crept onto Kisara's face. She nodded to agree with Tea. Even though she wasn't sure how what Tea was saying would happen, she felt that she could trust her.

"Now, you only have flip flops from Yugi's house so let's get you a good pair of shoes," Tea said, "My treat. Or Yugi's."

Kisara nodded again, a pink blush springing to her face, embarrassed by the attention, but at the same time very thankful and happy for it. The two girls slipped on their shoes and in moments, were off on the adventure that would be shoe shopping.

 **-YGO-**

The wheels of his motorcycle skidded to a halt as Tristen pulled up to the Game Shop. He took off his helmet before turning back to get the other helmet from his rider, Serenity. She shook her hair free, smiling as she disembarked and handed him the helmet, which might as well have been her's at this point.

Very quickly, she gave him a kiss on the cheek before telling him, "Don't study too hard."

"I'm going to have to after being with you all day," He replied, smiling.

She giggled before the sound of the door to the Game Shop opening could be heard in the background. Joey stood in the doorway, watching the two, his arms crossed and his expression vacant of any joy at the site in front of him.

"I've got to go," She said, sheepishly smiling up at Tristen, "See ya later."

"See ya," He replied as she ran back into the game shop and past her brother, who shoved himself off of the doorway and made his way over to Tristen.

"I told you not to keep her out that long," He said.

"We lost track of time, sorry," Tristen replied.

"Ya know, you can waste your education all you want," Joey told him, "But her's is coming out of my wallet, so I'd appreciate it if you'd respect that."

"Oh because you're the 'big man' of the house?" Tristen said rhetorically.

"Yes, I am the big man of the house," Joey said, unamused, "And again, I wish you'd respect that, especially since I let you guys date."

Tristen rolled his eyes, "You didn't let us date, you gave up on yelling at us hanging out together on 'not dates' because as Serenity put it 'she doesn't need your permission' and she was going to disown you."

Joey glared at Tristen, not amused by the statement in the slightest, "Just... I'm working my butt of here, Tristen. I'd really appreciate it if you thought about her as much as I worked for her."

Tristen rolled his eyes, but decided that now was the time to relent on the issue of Joey's obstinate refusal to accept that he and Serenity were dating. He turned off the engine and parked the bike.

"So, where's Yugi?" He asked.

"He's still at work," Joey said, turning around and going back into the game shop.

Tristen followed him inside to find the game shop close to closing hour. The place was spic and span and Joey was already behind the counter, busy counting coins.

"That's kinda late isn't it?" Tristen asked.

"I thought this wasn't late at all," Joey said, poking a hole in Tristen's earlier remark about him getting Serenity back at a good hour.

"Look man, I'm sorry," Tristen said.

Joey shrugged, "It's fine; it's just been very busy today and I'm tired."

Tristen nodded before sitting down on a stool behind the counter, "So... why's he working so late?"

Suddenly Joey's face brightened up a bit as the morning's events were all coming back to him and a smile crossed his face, "Oh, you're not going to believe this actually."

"What?"

With that Joey proceeded to elaborate to Tristen in detail what had happened earlier that day. After Tristen's eyes had nearly doubled in size, he finally managed to state his overall conclusion on the situation.

"Yugi should hope he doesn't get arrested," He said finally, "That's got all kinds of bad lawsuits written all over it."

"Naw, I don't think so," Joey said, "I mean, we're helping her. It's not like he assaulted her or something."

Tristen thought about it for a moment before looking up and shrugging. That much was true. Like Yugi could ever even imagine assaulting anyone anyway.

"So... who do you think she was?" Tristen asked.

"Nada clue," Joey told him, "Sure was pretty though. And different. If there are any missing persons reports, they're bound to find her right away. She had a very different look to her... Do ya think ya could help me clean up?"

"Sure," Tristen said, hopping off the chair and beginning to close and lock cabinets, after which he would put the keys on the counter for Joey to pick up.

He came around to the side of the shop where the rare cards were kept and locked up the cabinet again. It was odd though, because he was sure that unless they had sold one, the cabinet wouldn't have been open anyway. And even if they had, Joey was normally pretty good at closing the drawer up right away. As he moved to stand up though, he saw the edge of two cards underneath the cabinet. Carefully, he tugged at the edges to pull them free, only to find that they were not even full cards. In fact, he was actually very familiar with what these partial cards were.

"Hey, Joey," He said, holding up the cards, "Yugi's Grandpa's Blue Eyes card was out. You gotta be more careful than that man. Or some nut's going to steal it, ripped or not."

Joey stood up, surprised, "Not like my Red Eyes couldn't take it on with the proper spell card if given the chance..."

Tristen once again rolled his eyes as Joey took each half of the card, when the blonde eyed them suspiciously, "That's odd..."

"What?"

"Well, Yugi's Grandpa had it carefully taped together, but look, it's like the tape itself was torn..." Joey said trailing off, "Gonna hafta tell Yugi about it."

"Why?" Tristen inquired.

Joey pursed his lips together, "Well, I'm thinkin' he's thinkin' Kisara might be in some way connected to the Blue Eyes, 'cause he asked her about it. She'd never even heard of it though... but he'd want to know anyway."

"You're probably just overthinking things again," Tristen told him.

Joey looked out towards the entrance of the store and sighed, "Yeah... maybe..."

Tristen watched as his friend went to lock up the shop. Something about Joey's stance was off. He was slouching more, the prior excitement about Kisara's appearance and the mystery surrounding her gone. Tristen leaned against the wall as Joey walked back his way.

"You okay, man?" He asked.

"Huh? Why?" Joey replied.

"You just seem... I don't know, out of it a bit," Tristen told him, "Did something else happen today?"

Joey paused before shaking his head, "Naw, that's all. I guess I'm just worn down. We had a huge shipment come in 'cause new cards get released tomorrow and all the prep was just complete chaos..."

As his friend trailed off, Tristen sensed that Joey was omitting something, but decided not to press. When Joey got angry, well, it just didn't suit him and he tended to take it out violently. That's what his old man had basically breed into him anyway. Joey knew that. Tristen knew that. Everyone knew that. But it didn't make it any less difficult for Joey to restrain himself when he got that way. Thankfully, whenever Yugi was around, that side of Joey seemed to calm down, perhaps because of Yugi's calmer, kind demeanor.

"Well, man, I gotta run, unless you need anything," Tristen offered.

Joey shook his head again, "Naw, I'm good. Thanks, man."

"No prob," Tristen said as they headed for the exit at the front of Yugi's Grandpa's house, "Tell Serenity I looooooove her."

Joey swatted Tristen's kissy face away with an irritated smile, "I'll tell 'er that when pigs fly."

"Be careful, it's coming," Tristen said, making finger guns at him before putting his helmet back on as he headed for his bike.

Revving the engine, Tristen sped off, leaving Joey alone at the house. As Joey watched him drive off, he sighed and scratched at the back of his head. He shut the door before going into the living area and collapsing on the couch to wait for Serenity to finish her homework. After that, they'd go home. He looked up at the ceiling, reaching his hand up as if to touch it, and then swatting at nothing. Because really, that's all there ever was. Nothing.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it! I was actually thinking of titling this chapter 友情 (Pronounced "Yuojou", meaning "Friendship") to see how many people caught it lol. But I think 攻撃 (Kougeki) worked better, especially with Kaiba being well... Kaiba, lol. Let me know what you thought and I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon. If I don't update soon, Happy Holidays everyone!

Later,

~Rena


	6. Chapter Six: 電気 (Denki)

**Disclaimer:** Nope, nothing. I'm just as poor as everyone else.

 **Author's Note:** Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Mine was… quite busy to say the least. Lots and lots of driving was involved. Anyway, with the new year comes a new chapter with new places to explore.

I really quickly did also want to bring something up, considering at this point, I will start using a lot more names of places, stores, traditional words/customs etc. That something is that while Domino City is indeed a fictional location within Japan, I am incorporating a lot of stores and names and phrases that are indeed used in many places throughout Japan that I encountered regularly when I lived over there for a couple years or so. I'll continue to add those into the terms lists, but I hope that this adds to a certain level of an authentic experience that you as readers may get as you read this story. :) If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. I'm rather bad at messaging, but I'll do my best.

Also, just for reference, I'm not sure if Kazuki Takahashi had a specific area in mind as to where Domino City would be located, but I'm basing it off of the idea that it is located somewhere between Kyoto and Tokyo (likely in Aichi prefecture of Japan).

Today's Chapter Title means "Electricity".

 _ **Terms -** (There are a lot, so here we go!)_

General: _(Good to Know)_

 _JR lines_ \- JR is short for "Japan Rail", a company which runs the majority of all major rail lines in Japan, including the famed Shinkansen or "Bullet Train".

 _Ikebukuro_ \- a District in Tokyo. Known for the Sunshine City Mall, Sunshine Road, (filled with shops), Otome Road (a road filled with anime stores catering to primarily women), and the Ikebukuro station, one of the busiest stations in Tokyo. Very popular place for young people to go, despite it likely being a homebase for Yakuza (Japanese Mob Members).

 _Mushi-atsui_ \- Literally means "humid". Very commonly used word in the summer time in Tokyo.

 _Shinjuku_ \- a District of Tokyo with the busiest train station in the world, Shinjuku Station, with over 200 entrances and exits and 51 platforms. The station serves generally over 3.5 million passengers per day and is also the home to a variety of department stores ,boutique shops, and restaurants.

 _Otaku_ \- In America, they are known as fans of Anime. In Japan, the term also means a fan of anime, but has a slightly more derogatory sense to it, with the added notion that these fans of anime in particular may be 'hikikomori', or rather people who shut themselves off from society and may have slightly poor social skills. Seto would likely use the word to imply as such.

 _24.5 Shoe Size_ \- About a 8.5 Womens Shoe Size in the USA

 _8cm Heel_ \- About a 3 inch heel

 _Rainy Season -_ Sometimes called 'Tsuyu' or 'Baiyu', a time in Japan generally from the beginning of June to mid July comprising of many rainy days.

 _Musashi Miyamoto_ \- an famed Japanese Swordsman who lived from around 1584 to 1645. Additionally, he was a philosopher of martial arts and ronin (rogue) samurai.

 _"Go Rin no Sho"_ \- Lit. "The Book of Five Rings", a revered book written by Musashi Miyamoto on strategies and methodologies regarding battle and the philosophies behind them.

 _Manga Referenced by Tea_ \- The Manga referenced by Tea is called "Hana Yori Dango" or "Boys Over Flowers" written by Yoko Kamio. It is the highest grossing Shojo Manga to date with several movies, tv series, an anime series, and musical production spawned from the series to date. The character in question who she is quoting is Shizuka Todo.

 _Salarymen_ \- Term for businessmen in Japan who work desk jobs in suits each day.

Stores: _(Don't need to know, just interesting)_

 _Mitsukoshi and Isetan_ \- High End Department Stores, think Nordstroms and then double the fancy. Isetan I often think of as the place where older wealthy shoppers go for more traditional and simplistic like items. Mitsukoshi caters to the same market, but with items that are more modern, fancy, and stylish.

 _Takeshimaya_ \- Department stores similar to most normal Nordstroms

 _Seibu_ \- Department stores similar to something between a JC Penney's or Nordstroms

 _Parco_ \- Departments stores similar to JC Penney's, but an appeal specifically more to women in their 20's or slightly older, professional working women on a time crunch

 _Marui_ \- A clothing store chain that appeals to 20 year olds. Fashionable, but very clean and pristine. (If you get the chance, I'd recommend you go to the one in Shinjuku!)

 _Animate_ \- The largest anime-chain store in Japan (and for that matter the world). Seriously one of my favorite stores; it's always busy and has literally everything under the sun for fans of current anime/manga.

 _Kotobukiya_ \- A smaller version of Animate, mostly caters to figurine collectors

 _Tokyu Hands_ \- A store similar to what would be a combo of Target and Michaels and Home Depot. Very clean and organized, but normally, like most of the stores and not department stores, rather closely clustered with a lot (very well organized) inside.

 _Kinokuniya_ \- Nice clean, quiet Book Store chain. Very similar to Barnes and Nobles.

 _Tully's -_ A Coffee Shop chain similar to starbucks, though often with an active smoking section.

 _Vie De France_ \- French bakery shop chain, but with lots of sweet bread too. Nice and well kept.

 _Depa-chika_ \- Department stores and malls in Japan often have a basement filled with supermall like stations with delis, seafood shops, fried dinners, dessert shops, etc. They're pretty high end, but often have some sweet delights and nice things for fancier dinners for the home. Sometimes they also have little accessory boutiques or a Starbucks like coffee station or shop.

Food: _(Cool to Know)_

 _Melonpan_ \- A roll of sweet bread baked with cookie dough over the top.. It tends to have a criss cross shape on top. No Melon inside of it, but it gained the name due to the look and shape of the bread.

 _Curry Donuts_ \- Think super fried donuts with Curry inside instead of a boston cream... I swear their good. They feature in an early manga arc of "Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji" for those curious.

 _Anpan_ \- Bread filled with anko (Red Bean paste). It's sweet, but a low key kind of sweet. Some people like them, some do not.

 _Takoyaki_ \- Fried balls of pancake-like batter with tangy glaze and mayo on top and octopus pieces chopped up inside. Very good kind of fast food type food in Japan. Best place to have them is in Osaka.

Made up Terms: _(Interesting to Know)_

 _De-Maru-Eki_ \- To my knowledge, this doesn't exist in Domino City or Japan and was just a name I created. It literally translates to "The Mall Station" and has some English roots, which I added since I felt Domino is written as a more global or internationally minded city.

Pheew! Now that that's over, let's get onto the story! Hopefully there won't be too many chapters where a ton of terms like that pop up in the future haha. Anyway, enjoy!

 **-YGO-**

" _We were both young when I first saw you,_

 _I close my eyes, and the flashback starts,_

 _I'm standing there… On a balcony in summer air,_

 _See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns,_

 _See you make your way through the crowd,_

 _And say, "hello", little did I know."_

-"Love Story" by Taylor Swift

 **Chapter Six:** **電気** **(Denki)**

Yugi found the delay in actually picking up the tablet pieces much more difficult to deal with than he had originally thought. Ishizu had originally told him that they would get the machinery needed by about 1 in the afternoon. It didn't come till 4:38. By the time they managed to properly hook the machinery around the sides of even just one of the fractured tablet pieces, it was dinner break for the union workers.

Sitting down on the edge of a chair brought into the room, Yugi let his head fall into his hands. Speed just wasn't on his side today.

"Now would be a good time for holograms to actually be able to do physical labor," He mused to himself.

"I'm not sure that would be the best idea," Came a voice from behind.

Yugi whipped around to see the one and only Maximillion Pegasus looking down at him. He quickly got up and gave a polite bow, "Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were here."

"You're always so formal, Yugi, and yet we've known one another for years," Pegasus said.

Yugi awkwardly forced a smile, "Well, uh, I suppose it's just habit."

In reality, Pegasus still had this odd way of scaring Yugi out of his skin at times. Probably since no matter if he had a millennium item or not, Yugi always felt that Pegasus was extremely good at reading others' minds. It also didn't help that Pegasus had at one point taken his grandfather's soul. Ishizu said that at the time, Pegasus' judgement was probably impaired, that the holder of the Millennium Eye was the most susceptible to the shadows. And Yugi had reluctantly bought that logic, but... it never made it easier.

"Ms. Ishitar informed me of the delay," Pegasus continued, straight to business, "With it, how soon do you think you will be able to remove the tablet?"

Yugi thought for a moment, "Um... likely within a week or less. The problem is that the weekend is coming up and union regulations limit the number of hours we can have workers on hand..."

Pegasus nodded, "Do you think it would be possible to reveal the other two tablets within two weeks then?"

"Huh? Uh, I mean, as long as every thing's cleaned up, but didn't you want to show them all at once?" Yugi asked.

"I did, but there's only so much money I can put into this display," Pegasus told him, "Additionally, we're on a time limit. Players with any actual interest in the Duel Monsters of old are far and few in between."

Yugi nodded, a bit disheartened by the news, "I understand."

"In that regard, you really are a gem, Yugi," Pegasus continued, before turning to Yugi and suddenly speaking away from those in the room and in a low voice, "And speaking of gems, I heard that a certain CEO and his kid brother had something to do with this fiasco, is that correct?"

Yugi felt his stomach drop as he reluctantly relented a nod, "Uh, it's possible, but uh, I'm not entirely sure what the full story is, Mokuba Kaiba did give a check to me to cover the-"

"Let me be clear, Mr. Mutou," Pegasus said, cutting him off, "We both know that the Blue Eyes was carved on that stone and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Seto Kaiba, the owner of the only three playable Blue Eyes in existence, might have something to do with this catastrophe coming about."

Yugi could only nod as Pegasus continued and put a hand on his shoulder, "If you find anything out regarding sure connection between the two, you will inform me immediately. After all, you and I both want the same thing, if I'm not mistaken. There's something we've both lost and these artifacts may be the only key to their return."

Pegasus gave Yugi's shoulder a tight squeeze before letting go. The young archeologist gave a brief and final nod in understanding, allowing Pegasus to smile at ease.

"Go on home for the night, my boy," He said, his tone much more reassuring and kinder now, "We both know that you want to see your family and friends after all. Your whole time back needn't be spent with these old fossils."

 **-YGO-**

Mokuba had taken to playing games on his phone for the last hour upside down on the couch in Seto's office. Frankly, he was rather surprised that Seto hadn't scolded him claiming he was going to kill himself with all the blood rushing to his head. Actually, that wasn't the only thing that was surprising. Seto not yelling at anyone since this morning was as decent of a change as they come. Finally though, Mokuba sighed and flipped backwards onto the floor.

"Niiiiiii-samaaaaaaaa," He whined, "Can we go to a department store?"

For the first time in hours, Seto looked up from his work, "Hm?"

"The department store? Or the Domino City shopping mall? I could really go for a tapioca ball smoothie," Mokuba told him, sitting up from the floor.

Seto looked at the time and shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

It was at that point that Mokuba slipped on his own hands, "What?!"

"What?" Seto repeated back, startled by Mokuba's own surprise.

"You never say it's alright to leave work early," Mokuba said, "Let alone go to the mall."

"Well, it's not like I hadn't finished today's pressing matters on Monday of this past week," Seto said, standing up and closing his computer down.

"But..." Mokuba paused, half wondering if it was a trap, "What's the catch?"

Seto rolled his eyes, "Nothing really. Besides, it's better that I go with you to prevent you from flirting with some unwitting store worker."

"I knew there was a catch," Mokuba said, pouting, as he slipped his shoes back on.

Seto picked up his briefcase and followed Mokuba down the steps to the front where the car was waiting for them. He stood at the entrance for a moment, breathing in the fresh air, the wind hitting his face just enough to make him squint. It was nice, though it felt a little fleeting. His eyes opened at the sound of Mokuba opening up the car door. This valet might even get a raise, he thought. Not a scratch yet.

Heading around to the driver's seat, he turned on the ignition and they were off. It didn't take long to get there. In actuality, what took the longest was getting into the parking garage and finding a place to park. Mokuba half expected Seto to give up and take them home. But he remained oddly calm as he switched the car into reverse and backed into a spot free of other cars.

Mokuba hopped out as soon as they were in park and threw his jacket over his shoulder. He really wasn't much of one for suits, but as he got older, it seemed to be either this or his school uniform and as he had learned, the suit at the very least gave him more of a chance with the ladies.

"Come on, Nii-sama," He said, waiting for Seto to get out of the car and lock it up.

He was surprised when his brother left his briefcase inside and just stuffed his wallet into his pants' pocket, quietly following after his more energetic younger brother. As they entered into the Takashimaya connected to the parking lot, they walked passed by various designer boutiques of no interest to either of them until they got into the main area of the mall.

The Domino City shopping mall was different to say the least, as it was another hub of the city's sprawling metropolis. Running under the lower level of the mall in the center was a train station aptly named 'De-Maru-Eki', which serviced several train lines, the biggest of which included the JR lines. This wasn't what made the mall different though.

Almost like Tokyo's Ikebukuro and Shinjuku stations, the Domino City mall was home to a variety of high end department stores mixed with boutiques, restaurants, and more mainstream fashion line stores. From Takashimaya to Mitsukoshi to Marui, the range of choices was in a word, insane, especially considering how most department stores seemed to prefer separation from their rivals. However, the pull of people in the mall was too much to resist so even the likes of Isetan, Seibu, and Parco had joined into the fray, often bidding for more space, causing for reconstruction to be a normal part of the facility, though never an inconvenience to its patrons.

Of course, other stores existed. The mall wasn't without general interest stores either. Duke Devlin was known for having a branch of his game shop centered in the mall appropriately located next to the famed Domino City Animate, Tokyu Hands, and even Kotobukiya. Mokuba was most prone out of the two to jump into these stores while Seto preferred the more laid back shops such as Kinokuniya where he could find books to read in his downtime.

Ultimately, what normally happened, if the Kaiba brothers ever ventured there, was that Seto would buy a book and head over to either Tully's or Vie De France where he could buy a light snack for himself to have as he read. If Mokuba was late, he would pull out his phone and begin testing restructured decks and various strategies to possibly give him an edge in the next tournament, if he choose to enter anyway. In the end, Mokuba would show up about an hour and a half late, carrying bags of food, mostly 'junk food' or snacks that he would never get to, in both hands after spending thirty minutes in the depa-chika of the basement level.

As soon as they met the open halls connecting Takashimaya to the rest of the mall, Mokuba threw his arms out in ecstatic excitement, "Nii-sama, I'm going to head over to Animate, you coming?"

"No thanks, I'll meet you by the center fountain," Seto said, not paying too much attention.

Mokuba took the not-rude comment in stride. He half expected Seto to call the store a 'watering hole for otaku' or 'more crowded than a train car' or something along those lines, but he nodded, without saying anything as his brother called after him.

"Meet you in two hours!" He called.

"Right!" Came the reply.

Seto stood in the center of the mall. While he knew what his normal routine was while here, for whatever reason, he paused in his predetermined route and looked out over the crowd of bustling shoppers. A site that would normally irritate him due to the noise caused by the multiple clacks of feet on the linoleum tile for some reason, barely fazed him. He just felt... decent. Perhaps that was the word. Shrugging off his vague astonishment over that word coming, he made his way to the elevator to the quiet bookshop on the second floor where he was sure a novel or news article of interest was waiting for him.

 **-YGO-**

Kisara found that shoe shopping was indeed an adventure. She learned that her size was about an 24.5, heals were manageable only if they were under 8 cm, and stockings were a royal pain to get on. However, the thing that surprised her the most was that there were so many options available and so many that she liked. Finally though, she settled on a pair of light blue 'flats' as Tea called them, with little sparkling stones laced around them, forming an intricate design similar to that, Kisara thought, of the splashing of water up into the air as it moved out of the way of pebbles falling into it.

"Tea, thank you again for the shoes," Kisara said, still blushing and trying to hide her joy, which she felt would be inappropriate for some reason to express on the streets with so many passers by.

Tea smiled, "I told you, it's no problem. I just hope they don't get ruined or something. The rainy season is over though, so they shouldn't be in too much danger."

"Rainy season?" Kisara asked.

"Yeah, it happens about halfway through the year," Tea explained.

"Oh..." Kisara said, taking in the new information.

The two walked out of the little boutique, Kisara's new shoes now complimenting her borrowed ensemble. Tea dug around in her purse looking for her phone, muttering to herself as Kisara looked around what Tea had called 'The Mall'. Though it had the same feeling as the streets of the market places of Kmt, it was so much bigger and seemed to sparkle, dazzling her senses and filling her chest with an almost undeserved excitement it seemed. She knew that she should be worried. She should be concerned over how she even got here. But her senses delighted her with all the new sounds and sites that she couldn't help but want to see it all.

"There it is!" Tea exclaimed, pulling her phone out, "Let me give Yugi a call, let him know where we went and tell him you're staying with me tonight."

Kisara nodded, though she wasn't sure how Tea would do that with the smooth, thin item in her hands. Suddenly, it lit up at Tea's touch and she hit circles with numbers before a new image popped up. It suddenly occurred to her that she could read. If this wasn't Kmt, how could she read? The questions continued to pile up in her mind when suddenly a sound came out of the item in Tea's hand.

"Hello?" Came the sound of Yugi's voice.

"Hey, Yugi? Any luck?" Tea asked.

"Not... really... we couldn't get any of the tablet's slabs off the ground, too heavy and the equipment was late today... where are you guys?" He replied.

"We're at the shopping mall," Tea answered, "I bought Kisara new shoes so she didn't have to wear your flip flops."

"Oh, well, thanks, I didn't even think about that," Yugi admitted.

"That's 'cause you're a guy," Tea said, her voice turning slightly playful to the ear.

As Tea and Yugi somehow talked with the use of Tea's... item, Kisara walked towards the edge of the balcony. Trees were growing inside and plants on the sides of the balcony above hung down with beautiful flowers, though she couldn't smell any of them. The amount of gold covering the building was enough to make Kisara feel like she was in a palace. It was dazzling.

Two floors below, Seto sat at the fountain with his book, having almost completed it. It wasn't the first time he had read the book, written by Musashi Miyamoto in the 1600's. His step father had ordered him to read it among many others, such as the Art of War by Sun Tzu, multiple times. But out of them all, this one had been oddly calming to read, if not perplexing, and really, he had pretty much burned all of those books with the death of his father, so it wasn't like this was a duplicate purchase for him.

Within the text of "Go Rin no Sho", Miyamoto would often speak of swiftness, no nonsense, and focusing on achieving the goal of defeating one's enemies. He understood that. But Miyamoto would also say not to flourish about excessively, or flaunt one's power. Seto had trouble agreeing with that. Fear after all, was a powerful tool and making sure his opponents were well acquainted with that fear was always a part of his strategy.

Shutting the book, he looked down at his watch and loosened his tie, if only just a bit, his Armani suit starting to get the point where it was now cumbersome. Though an interesting read, he was stunned by his own passiveness as he absorbed the words. Perhaps it was because he had in fact read it before, but still... he felt oddly at ease, though something lingered in his stomach as if that could be deterred and faulter at any minute.

Unbeknownst to him, Tea had gotten off the phone after telling Yugi she'd have Kisara stay with her for the night and had walked over to her new friend, "Ready to go?"

Kisara nodded hesitantly. She really wanted to see more, but knew by the darkness overcoming the building that nightfall was quickly approaching. But as the sun's light flickered as it gave way to the moon's birth, new lights were appearing. She half wondered if they were fireflies, but then, how could one capture so many?

"I'm ready, but Tea, what... how are those lights working?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, it's electricity," Tea told her.

"Electricity?" She repeated, unfamiliar with the word.

"Um, it's like a force that is run by the passage of electrons and uh... think of it like modern day magic," Tea elaborated poorly, "It runs almost everything. My phone, the lights, trains..."

Kisara nodded as the two walked over to the moving staircase. _This must also be run by electricity,_ she thought. Unless workers were actually physically moving them below, but she doubted it. It wouldn't be so smooth. As she grasped the hand rail to keep her balance, she felt a soft hum hitting her delicate hand as they descended below. Perhaps that is what electricity felt like...

As Seto leaned back, looking up at the passers by around him, he heard footsteps that seemed to be coming towards him. Glancing to his left, he caught sight of Mokuba, of course, carrying two bags on one arm from the depa-chika, filled with dinner items and of course, junk food in the form of pastries such as Curry Donuts, Anpan, and Melonpan. In his hand was the smoothie he had talked about earlier and a small plate filled with Takoyaki balls that were still hot. It was a wonder that kid was still as skinny as he was.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Mokuba asked, "Brought you some food."

Seto rolled his eyes, but gladly grabbed one of the hot fried delights by his fingers and popped it in his mouth. The warm sensation radiated in his mouth and down his throat as he swallowed and shrugged at his brother.

"I suppose," He said, without much thought, standing up as he licked his fingers clean.

"Another?" Mokuba held out the rest.

"In the car," Seto said, "I don't like to eat while walking... I'm surprised you do."

"It's not that I do, I just don't see the point in waiting," Mokuba stated simply, tossing a rather fresh Takoyaki into his mouth, "Oh! Hot! Hot!"

"That's what you get," Seto said, though a smile tugged at his face.

As they began to walk back towards Takashimiya, multiple shoppers strode by, many high school students heading to Duke's store no doubt or Animate. Around the corner, Kisara and Tea had finally jumped off the escalator, heading for the entrance to the train station. Getting off had been the most intimidating part for Kisara the first time, but now she saw it as an adventure, jumping off with a bit of glee in her step. She loved her shoes. They cushioned her feet so nicely and warmly.

She smiled, "Thank you again for the shoes, Tea."

"Stop thanking me!" Tea laughed, "I'm glad you like them though. There's a manga where this famous heiress once said 'Wear great shoes and they will take you great places one day'. Not sure if they're great, but if you think they are, then they are!"

Kisara smiled. 'They will take you great places one day.' She liked that. Tea felt her phone buzz again. She let out an annoyed sigh before digging it out. Instead of 'calling' someone though, she began to swipe her fingers across a beautiful board of characters, writing a message on the screen. Tea looked up quickly, glancing around to see where they were.

"Hold my hand, Kisara. There's a lot of people in this area and it's easy to get lost; I don't want to lose you," Tea told her, looking back down at her phone, where she continued to meticulously write out the message with her thumb.

Kisara nodded, taking her new friend's hand. She suddenly realized what Tea meant by 'a lot of people'. It seemed that a new rush of people exited the train station with the force of a tidal wave, moving passed them, heads down, dispersing in all directions. She felt very overwhelmed. As they swerved between people, suddenly, Kisara saw coming towards her a young man, tall, with light brown hair. She froze momentarily and Tea's hand slipped from her grasp.

The sensation of the electric hum of the moving stairs came to mind to describe how her chest felt in an instant, but a thousand times stronger. It was warm and tingled, but was exciting and full of some unknown purpose. Did she know this man? She couldn't see the entirety of his face; it kept being blocked by other people. No, she didn't think so, but he... she saw one of his blue eyes as his profile passed her by. Unfortunately though, as suddenly as the electric hum had invaded her chest, it was gone as she felt herself being shoved downward to the ground.

"Excuse me," Came a low call from behind as she landed on the ground, her hair tumbling after her as others dodged to avoid her.

It was at this point that Seto Kaiba stopped and looked around, feeling as if something important was there. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced back around to see what it could have been... His brow furrowed. All he saw were salarymen as they continued quickly on to catch their trains.

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba said, calling from ahead, "You okay?"

Seto continued to look around. He felt prompted to go back. But he didn't know why. So slowly, he answered, "Yeah..."

"Well, are you coming then?" Mokuba asked, sipping his smoothie through a rather large straw to accommodate the tapioca pearls.

Gradually, Seto nodded, "Yeah... I'm coming."

The two brothers continued on their quest to the car as Seto tried to shake the acute unease that swiftly began to enter his chest with every step he took. It was so distracting that at some point, he nearly ran into a salaryman rushing out.

"Sorry," Came the call, but as he swerved to avoid the gentleman, and followed Mokuba into the glass elevator, where his eyes flashed back around him to see someone in the crowd. She had long white hair and was standing with someone who he couldn't see.

Kisara shook dust off of her skirt as Tea helped her up, "You okay? I'm so sorry, it looks like one of the main lines just arrived. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay," Kisara said, getting up and looking around, wondering where the young man had gone.

But right as her head began to turn towards him, Seto saw the golden elevator doors close before his now outstretched hand could stop them. Seeing no one, Kisara glanced down, disappointed.

"You sure?" Tea asked.

Kisara picked her head up and smiled, with the goal of not being a burden on Tea anymore than she already had been, "Yes, I'm fine. Do you want to go?"

"Um, yeah, I guess, let's go home. For real this time," Tea said, a smile now on her face as well.

Following after Tea as before, once again holding hands, though tighter this time, Kisara swiped the now familiar 'pass' to get herself onto the train behind Tea. When her friend wasn't looking though, a look of befuddlement marked Kisara's features. She wished she had gotten a better look at that man. She racked her brain, trying to figure out why she had frozen upon seeing him, not even seeing him, only part of him, part of his face... as the train doors closed, she sighed, giving up for the time being. Did it really matter? It's not like she would have met him before, not if she really was from Kmt, whoever he was… she could have just been startled by his features… which had been admittedly quiet handsome.

Upon reaching the upper level, Seto briskly exited the elevator, passed even his brother, who had to be careful not to squish his treats against those he was standing next to.

"Nii-sama?" He asked, but Seto wasn't paying attention. He reached the ledge and the balcony fence and peered over the side, deliberately trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of the woman from before.

But when nothing could be seen, finally, his brother's words reached his ears, "Nii-sama? Are you okay? Are you looking for something?"

Seto gripped the railing hard before turning and avoiding his brother's gaze, preferring instead to head straight for the car instead, "Yeah, I'm fine, I just thought I saw something..."

Mokuba's brow raised, not sure how he was to take his brother's vague response, but shrugged it off to himself as he slurped up more of his smoothie. As they exited Takashimaya, Seto felt the familiar 'mushi-atsui' sensation wrap around him, somehow feeling as though it was going to smother him. He hastily got into the car, turned it on and blasted the AC, but still he felt unable to shake the fact that he had unknowingly missed something. And that something, it was something that had been important.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** I kinda got a little nostalgic for Ikebukuro and Urawa when writing about the mall. Seriously some of my favorite places in Japan. Actually, a great movie to see more of Japanese culture is "Your Name", my current favorite movie of the year. Very beautiful and like looking at Japan through a glass window. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know in the comments below. Later,

~Rena


	7. Chapter Seven: 仕事 (Shigoto)

**Disclaimer:** Nope, nada. Zilch. In other words, I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!".

 **Author's Note:** Been a while, huh? Work's been rather crazy lately, so I've been writing here and there, but I keep forgetting to actually post things! My sincerest apologies. (And for those wondering, yes, I have a few chapters in need of revision now that will hopefully be posted shortly). In any case, onto the terms, a brief overview of the Japanese Yen Currency, and the chapter! Enjoy!

 _Terms -_

 _Genkan_ \- Entryway

 _Futon-_ A quilted mattress that can be rolled out to be and used as a bed. Often folded up and stored in dry spaces to prevent mold from growing, especially during the humid seasons.

 _Chuo Koen Eki -_ Made up term meaning "Center Park Station"

Huts on Fuji - Every station up or so has 'huts' that act as rest stations essentially. It assists climbers, especially during poor weather or night hikes.

 _4000 yen_ \- Roughly $40 USD

 _2000 yen_ \- Roughly $20 USD

 _1735 yen_ \- Roughly $17.35 USD

 _1000 yen_ \- Roughly $10 USD

Perhaps you're noticing a pattern, so a quick note regarding exchange rates -

Exchange rates change all the time due to economic circumstances. Technically right now in Feb 2018, about 106¥ JPY is the same as $1.00 USD (in other words, this is a great time to go to Japan from an economical standpoint if you live in the US), however this is subject to change and at times 96 JPY, 92 JPY, 108 JPY, and 102 JPY have equalled 1 USD, etc. Due to the fluctuation, when I give estimates, I base it on the notion that 100¥ JPY is the same as $1.00 USD.

Also, just some insight into Japanese Currency. It consists of:

1 yen coins (ichi-en kouka)

5 yen coins (go-en kouka)

10 yen coins (ju-en kouka)

50 yen coins (goju-en kouka)

100 yen coins (hyaku-en kouka)

500 yen coins (gohyaku-en kouka)

Normally "Kouka" is dropped in regular conversation.

After, they have in bills coming in:

1,000 yen (sen-en satsu)

2,000 yen (nisen-en satsu) (These are rare and generally only seen on the Okinawa islands)

5,000 yen (gosen-en satsu)

10,000 yen (jusen-en satsu)

And so on…

Again, "Satsu" is generally dropped as it refers to the "bill" portion, unless being used formally.

So there you have it! The basics of Japanese Currency. So from here on out, I likely won't reference currency in the terms section as often. Last thing I do want to mention is for ease of reading, instead of using the "¥" symbol, I've written it out as 'yen' in the story.

Today's chapter title most literally means "Job".

 **Chapter Seven:** **仕事** **(Shigoto)**

 **-YGO-**

When Tea and Kisara finally arrived back at her apartment, it was nightfall. Dropping her bag to the floor and kicking her shoes off at the genkan, Tea stepped up and went straight for the closet to pull out a rather large, fluffy looking object. Noticing Tea's repeated behavior in taking her shoes off before stepping inside, Kisara did the same before she stepped up and went over to see if she could help Tea with the rather large... item that she seemed to be pulling out.

"I haven't used it in a while, but I kept it in a dry space, so you shouldn't have any problems," Tea told her, dropping it to the floor and kicking it out.

Quickly, Kisara realized that this was the 'futon' Tea had talked about before in regards to where she would sleep. Kisara nodded, happily.

"And hey, um, let me find you something to wear to bed..." Tea said, digging through her nightgowns when finally, she pulled out a white oversized shirt and passed it to Kisara, "Hope this works. I don't really like tight things when I sleep."

Kisara laughed, "I don't mind at all, thank you!"

"Well, you're welcome," Tea said, smiling back at her, "I'll let you get some rest okay."

"Okay," Kisara replied, getting to her knees so that she could sit down and get ready for bed, "Sleep well."

"You too," Tea said, "Good night."

"Night!"

Slipping behind the sliding door, Tea allowed herself some privacy. Jumping into something a little more comfy, Tea found herself on top of her own futon, arms outstretched, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. She sat back up to pull off her socks, revealing calloused feet from long practices at the gym. She rubbed them slightly, trying to relieve some of the tension and as she did so, she pulled a knee up to her cheek.

Today had been exhausting. Both physically, and emotionally. Kisara seemed to be a nice enough person. She was very sweet, polite, and eager to do her best. But in the back of her head all day was the imagined form of Kisara, her back to her, standing naked in front of Yugi. She quietly chided herself. She did believe Yugi in what he said. Nothing had happened. Kisara was so innocent, she didn't even know what electricity was for goodness sakes. But part of her, for whatever reason, had trouble shaking what must be a hint of... jealousy? Even selfish envy? She bent her head into her chest and behind her knee.

She'd known for a while in the back of her mind that she did indeed like Yugi. She remembered for years being confused over who it really was she liked, Yami or Yugi. And while Yami had held all of the dashing appeal of a leading man in an epic or like a boy in a boy band that one idolized from afar and fantasized over, Yugi always had stood by her side, being there for her, quietly smiling in the background as she enjoyed their adventures together. She hated herself for not realizing that sooner. Because soon enough, that was all gone. Shortly after Atem had left, so did Yugi in his pursuit of studying archeology. And it wasn't Atem that she missed the most. It was Yugi.

She laid back down onto her futon. She looked to her side to see her clock, blinking back at her as she reached over to plug in her iPhone. Once again, she collapsed on her pillow just as the iPhone buzzed. She reached over to see the photo of her and her best friend giving the lovable 'peace' sign to the camera.

"Hello?" She whispered, answering the phone.

"Oh, hey, I didn't wake you, did I?"

Tea shook her head, even though she knew that Yugi couldn't see her, "No, I was just going to sleep though."

"Ah... so you made it back okay then?" Yugi asked.

She murmured a familiar affirmation of his statement in response, "No problems, by the way, I bought Kisara new shoes... you think you could split them with me?"

Back in the game shop at the counter in the dark, the only light appearing from the hallway, Yugi nodded, "Yeah, that's no problem. How much?"

"4000 yen total, so 2000..."

"Yeah, that's fine," Yugi said, trailing off.

Everything had become so messed up. The timeline for their analysis projects was already set back due to this mishap with the tablet. Worse yet, that meant he'd be working overtime and then... he wouldn't get a lot of time with her.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, are you?" He replied, being pulled back out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine, feet are killing me though..."

"Where did you go?" He asked.

"Domino City Mall, remember?" She replied, "It was super crowded today, got my foot stepped on a bunch, but not as bad as what happened to Kisara. Someone pushed her down."

"Wait, are your feet okay?" He pressed.

"Huh, oh yeah, they're fine. Or as fine as they always are..."

"That's not fine!" Yugi snapped back, though there was a hint of amusement at the situation in his voice.

He knew too well of her problems with her feet. Since she had begun dance school, she had come home night after night, exhausted. But slowly, that wasn't the only complaint he had heard. Soon enough, callouses and cracking skin on her feet became a problem and they would stay up together looking up online what 'miraculous remedies' there might be that she could try. Ultimately, every few nights she would try something but to little or no avail and it just meant they would try again the next week.

"Hey, you should be more worried about Kisara than me. She's the one who fell down you know," Tea pointed out, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Oh uh, well, she's okay, right?" Yugi said, realizing his apparent blunder.

"She's fine. I think she's asleep now..."

"Well, I'll let you go then so you don't wake her," Yugi said softly, "You have a good night, alright?"

"I will. You get some sleep too," Tea replied.

"I will. Sweet dreams," He said.

"You too," She whispered, "Bye..."

"Bye," With that, the phone line disconnected.

Yugi rubbed his eyes. He was so tired, he doubted that he could dream. His nerves were shot and so much was on his mind that he felt his head would burst from the headache. But talking with Tea had been... nice. Really nice. He shlept up the stairs to his bedroom. Checking on the way that his Grandpa was alright, he made his way back to his bed and proceeded to fall onto it. He wiggled out of his button up and dress pants which he'd been wearing for two days straight now, they needed a wash for sure, and climbed under the blankets, not even bothering to get into night clothes.

He gazed up at the window in his ceiling, musing over everything that had happened that day. His mind had been going through the pieces for hours. He thought he knew what had happened. He was pretty sure that somehow, Kisara had been transported from Kemet to them through the tablet and that perhaps Kaiba had inadvertently triggered the transport. But how that had happened, he wasn't sure and he wasn't even sure if that was really the case.

And even if it was, then why did she end up in the game shop of all places... Was it because he was the reincarnation of Atem? And that was another thing. Why did she know who Atem was, but not anyone else? Not her friends, family... It was times like these when he really did wish that he could talk with Atem and discuss all of the elements in play...

He rolled onto his side and let his eyes close. He couldn't keep wishing that. He would just drive himself insane otherwise.

 **-YGO-**

Kisara woke the next morning to the sound of Tea's footsteps scuffling around her. Blinking wearily, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, her head barely missing Tea's foot as she jumped to get out of her way.

"Oh, sorry, Kisara, I forgot about my class this morning, you don't mind hanging out at the game shop do you?" She asked, scrambling to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Kisara shook her head, "No I don't... mind?"

Toothbrush in her mouth, Tea skidded passed her pulling on a pair of yoga pants under her skirt. She then pulled out a lightweight cute pink blouse and skirt to create an outfit, passing it off to Kisara. She ran back to the bathroom and spit.

"I'm so sorry, I totally forgot to get you essentials, like a toothbrush and stuff," Tea called, "Maybe Joey can take you out to the drugstore when it's slow at the shop?"

Kisara nodded, putting on the ensemble that Tea had given her. She was grateful that she didn't have much because by the time Tea had finished getting ready and was slipping her tennis shoes on, Kisara had just barely gotten her skirt zipped up. The two departed, Tea walking so briskly that Kisara had trouble keeping up. Jumping onto the JR line, they rode to the Chuo Koen Eki and got hopped off, now practically sprinting to the game shop. They were running so much so that when Tea burst through the door, Joey almost jumped out of his skin, nearly dropping a marble set in the process.

"Geez, Tea, what gives?" He asked, holding his chest.

"No time, I'm late, can Kisara hang out with you? And can you get her a toothbrush and stuff? I forgot to get her essentials," Tea's words tumbled out of her mouth, "I gotta go, thanks!"

She didn't even bother to shut the door as she ran out, late to her class, leaving Joey and Kisara both standing there thoroughly unsure of what to do next. Joey smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

"Well uh, I guess, make yourself at home, Kisara," Joey said, "There's a seat

over there by the tournament table."

Kisara nodded, walking over to the table and sitting down. She held her hands in her lap as Joey began to work and stayed quiet, but her eyes wandered. Looking around the shop, she saw all kinds of boxes with various labels written in a variety of fonts. Some mini-statues stood behind glass cases, more detailed than any she had ever seen (or at least she thought she had ever seen).

And then her head turned to the table she was sitting at, where various cards were strun over. She picked one up and looked it over. It had a shine to it and shimmered when she tilted it in the light. The image of a monster displayed back at her with numbers and a description underneath. She had no idea why one would have something like this. Were there creatures like that in this world?

"Hey, uh, Kisara," Joey said, bringing her out of her thoughts, "Uh, hey, I, uh, I'm sorry, I don't want ya to be bored or whatever. Do ya like games at all? Or do you want to go in and watch TV or somethin'?"

"TV?" Kisara asked, unsure of what that was.

"Oh, that's right, Tea doesn't have one, uh, it's like this glass that shows moving images and stuff," Joey explained.

"Oh... um... okay," Kisara said, standing up and putting the card down.

Joey tilted his head, "You, uh, ya like Duel Monsters?"

Kisara tilted her head back to him in response, before remembering what Tea had told her earlier, "Oh uh, no, I've never played it..."

"That's a shame," Joey said, opening the door leading into Yugi's house, "It's a fun game. I'll teach it to you some time, though maybe you should play against Tea or somethin', I'm a ranked player, but I'll see if I can create an easier deck for you to face or somethin'."

Kisara nodded as they walked into the house, which was dead quiet. Joey shrugged, "Guess Yugi's still asleep. Poor guy must be exhausted... I guess uh, just watch quietly?"

Kisara wasn't sure what he meant by that. She was always quiet when she watched things. Why would this be any different? Joey grabbed another smooth thin object off of the table and hit it with his thumb. Immediately, the glass in front of him glowed and a sound came out of it. This was like those moving pictures at the mall... so this was a TV.

"Here's the remote uh... you can change the channel this way," Joey moved to show her when for a second time that day, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"What are you doing in my home at this hour?!" Came the sharp rebuke with the whack of cane to Joey's shin.

"Agh, what are you doing up this early, gramps?" Joey asked, rubbing his leg which was now throbbing.

"Is it a crime for me to be up early in my own home?" Solomon Muto demanded.

"Well, no, but jeez," Joey complained, "You know I have a key and we have a guest. I just didn't want her sitting in the game shop bored, you know?"

"Bored?! In my game shop?" Solomon exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, she doesn't play Duel Monsters and that's like the main thing we sell," Joey said, shielding himself from Solomon's cane, which had been raised threateningly above Joey's head.

It was at this point though that Solomon seemed aware that there was another person in the room. Glancing over at her, he seemed unsure of what to make of Kisara.

"Girl... uh, I'm sorry, I'm Solomon Muto, have we met before?" He decided to go with.

Kisara shook her head, "No, this is the first time we've met... I am Kisara."

"Kisara..." Solomon repeated, "Are you from around here?"

"I..."

"She's not actually," Joey cut in, putting himself between Kisara and Solomon, "And you know, it's a funny story, but since you're up, maybe you can help us. When Kisara got here, her luggage got lost and I was gonna take her to the drugstore to get her the essentials today. You may have noticed she's borrowing Tea's clothes..."

Solomon looked Kisara over once again, "I... uh, I did notice that, but you're not going to get that at the drugsto-"

"So you can watch the shop while we're gone?" Joey said more so than asked, "Thanks, Gramps, you're the best!"

He quickly grabbed one of Kisara's hands and pulled her out the door to the game shop.

"Wait I never said tha-"

But Joey had already shut the door and slipped on his shoes. Kisara followed in suit and the two were out of the shop faster than Tristen on his motorcycle. They ran for a bit until they were out of sight of the game shop. She was clearly doing a lot of that today. Joey turned a corner and leaned against a wall, breathing heavy. Kisara bent over her knees doing the same.

"Sorry 'bout that," He breathed, "But it got us out of there faster. And if you ask me, it's better that you don't stay around Yugi's gramps too much. He's a bit of a perv."

Kisara looked at Joey skeptically so Joey filled in, "Remember? He noticed that you're wearing Tea's clothes?"

Kisara recalled the very fast paced conversation and then realized that Joey was right... though she wasn't sure that Mr. Muto recalling that fact made him a "perv" which she assumed was short for 'pervert'. Joey stood up though and stretched.

"Come on though. There's a drugstore up ahead," He said.

Kisara nodded and followed along beside Joey. Even this early in the morning, cars were moving quickly through the streets. Some so fast that Kisara was grateful for the gate between them and the road. As one zoomed passed them, she found herself jumping closer to Joey instinctively, but quickly receded to her normal spot. Joey noticed, but only smiled at her.

"Don't worry, they won't hit ya," He said, "They stay on their part of the street."

Kisara nodded, feeling embarrassed. Of course they would. The fence wouldn't be there otherwise. She scolded herself mentally. Soon they were nearly upon the drugstore, which was wide open. Joey went in first, navigating through the many very narrow aisles.

"So what'd you need again?" Joey asked.

"Um... essentials?" Kisara said, not sure what that included exactly.

"A'ight," Joey said, scanning what was in each row, "Then you'll need, what a toothbrush and uh... you can borrow Tea's... guess you need a brush for your hair too, right? And uh... I don't know what you need for make up, I mean, you don't need make up, you're pretty as you are, just uh, some girls like... ah never mind..."

Kisara let Joey trail off in thought as they made their way through the store. Joey thought about what his sister liked, trying to recall the brands she preferred. Face wash, shampoo, conditioner... what was that other thing, a... moisturizer? He really should pay more attention next time he was home. A couple times, they got to a point in the store where Joey turned to Kisara and looked her up and down, before he dropped a few items in front of them into her hand basket, as though just adding items just in case so that Tea wouldn't yell at him later. Finally, he grabbed a final box of what she figured was medicine of some kind before going up to the counter, where a variety of tiny signs advertised products.

She stood reading the various signs before she realized that Joey was nudging her to put her basket on the counter. The drugstore worker smiled and began to use a hand device to shine a bright light over the items. After a ping sounded, he would move onto the next one.

Finally, near the end, he spoke, "1,735 yen."

Joey pulled out a folded piece of thick leather from his back pocket before digging out two 1,000 yen bills from inside it and putting them in the little tray. The drugstore cashier took the tray, counted the bills, though there wasn't really a need to, before he entered it into a machine of some kind and gave Joey back five coins in return. Joey smiled at the gentleman, who handed Kisara her bags. Kisara smiled too at the man.

"Thank you," She said.

"No problem, my dear," The man said, "Nice boyfriend you have there."

"Huh?" Came the unison. They looked at each other before Joey intervened.

"Uh, no, sorry, she's just a friend. We're not, uh... no, yeah, I just have a sister and uh..." Joey began to realize how weird he was sounding, but decided to continue on, "I just know what she'd need and she's from out of town is all..."

Kisara nodded in affirmation of what Joey was saying and the gentleman apologized for the commented profusely. As they exited the store, Joey laughed nervously.

"Haha... sorry about that," Joey said.

"No, no... it's fine," Kisara said, before realizing what Joey had said earlier, "You uh, you have a sister?"

"Hm?" He replied and the began to walk back towards the game shop, "Oh, yeah, Serenity."

He pulled the leather item from his pocket and showed her a picture of a lovely looking young lady. Kisara genuinely smiled upon seeing the amount of joy gleaming off of Joey's countenance.

"She's very pretty," Kisara said.

"Yeah... I'm always keeping boys away from her," Joey said, before muttering, "It would help though if one of my best friends wasn't one of them though..."

Kisara smiled, laughing a bit to herself at the thought, "I am sure she appreciates it."

Joey shrugged, "Eh, I think I annoy her more than anything nowadays..."

Kisara watched as the smile started to fade a bit from Joey's face before he turned back to her with a new smile, "Eh, I guess that's just a brother's job though, right?"

Though Joey seemed bothered by whatever was happening between himself and his sister, Kisara decided to let it pass and gave him a happy nod. It wasn't her place to pry. They continued to talk until they returned to the game shop, their conversation turning more towards games. Joey talked about all the different games they sold, the concept of Duel Monsters, and how gaming ran in Yugi's family.

As they got to the door, Kisara waited for Joey to open it, remarking, "I suppose... that would make sense. The Pharaoh was said to be a master of games, even as a child..."

"Atem was?" Joey asked.

Kisara nodded, but there was a hint of worry on her face, "But I... why can I remember the Pharaoh, and places, and things but... no one else? I never even interacted with the Pharaoh, I don't think..."

Sensing her troubled mind, Joey turned back to her, "Hey, hey, don't beat yourself over things you can't remember. For all you know, maybe they weren't worth remembering to begin with. And ya know, the Pharaoh, any king, they're going to be famous. Maybe he's more like a thing or something in your mind, like a background element or somethin'. Maybe that's why you can remember him and no one else. He was just part of the painting you know?"

Kisara shrugged, though still clearly discouraged, so Joey tried again, placing his hands on her shoulders to her surprise, "Well, hey, no matter what, I'm sure you'll remember everything one day. And Yugi promised he'd get you back home and there isn't a promise Yugi has made that he hasn't kept."

When Kisara glanced up at him questioningly, he continued let go and asked, "What? What's wrong?"

"I just... I don't know... we don't know how long that's going to take. And I can't keep allowing you and Tea and Yugi to support me forever..." She said, trailing off.

Joey thought for a moment before the idea hit him, "Well then don't!"

"Huh?"

"Come work at the game shop with me. I'm an assistant manager, I can hire ya and then you'll be getting a paycheck and you can support yourself. And it'll give you something to do so you're not sitting at home everyday," Joey outlined happily.

"Wha, but I, I barely know anything about games..." She started.

"Doesn't matter. With your pretty face, nerds'll be comin' in here by the dozens in due time," Joey said, "So what da ya say?"

Kisara brought a small finger up to her chin before letting a slight nod show her agreement, "Um, alright, I guess. You've got yourself a worker."

 **-YGO-**

Mokuba was pretty sure that if his class didn't let out in the next five minutes, he'd die of boredom. Math was one of his best subjects. It was why Seto trusted him with so much of the financial inner workings of Kaiba Corp. It was also why whenever he had a teacher with a boring drawl to his speech and absolutely no new information for him to take in that he practically fell asleep in class. Mokuba turned his head towards Yuzuha, who was taking notes. When he caught her eye, he smiled at her, giving off his best Kaiba grin, but she rolled her eyes and went back to taking notes. Bored again and slightly depressed, Mokuba turned to look around at his other classmates... Maybe if it was for sure over between him and Yuzu, he could try to sweet talk Minami... she was in swim club and could get Mokuba to take a heavy interest in swimming if given the chance...

"Mr. Kaiba!"

Mokuba looked up, startled, "Um, yes?"

"Do you intend to ignore my lesson and stare at your classmates for the rest of the school year, or do you actually plan on engaging in the class and learning something?" Mr. Hasegawa demanded.

"Sorry," Mokuba apologized, though inwardly thought about seeing if Seto could just start picking him up earlier so he could avoid this moron; It wasn't like he didn't pull him out of class often enough as it was...

The class continued until the top of the hour, when Mr. Hasegawa vacated, leaving the classroom to be cleaned by those in Mokuba's class. Before clean up could begin though, Mokuba saw the Class President, Soji Sakamoto, and Vice President, Fukuno Imai stand at up for an announcement. He inwardly groaned.

"Hey, everyone, just a reminder, next weekend is the Mt. Fuji Hike. We'll be doing the night hike and leave on Friday, so don't forget!" Sakamoto said with a smile, but Mokuba's face turned downwards.

Fukuno nodded as she continued, "Yes, you need to make sure you have everything for the trip. If something unexpected happens it will be incredibly difficult as you will have to go with a supervisor back down the mountain. Thanks for listening and taking care to do this everyone!"

Everyone broke from their desks except Mokuba, who promptly brought his head down onto the desk. He'd completely forgotten about the trip. Seto had already paid for it, so he was going, but he had lost the sheet stating what they needed ages ago. Besides that though, he wasn't sure how he was going to survive two whole days without a single source of the technologically advanced modern world. This was going to suck... He heard someone clearing their throat in front of him and he looked up to see Yuzuha.

"Oh, hey Yuzu-chan, what's up?" Mokuba said, hoping he didn't get hit for being to familiar.

"Well... I thought about it and… Well, I wanted to apologize for being... well, rude lately. After your brother barged in on us and everything. It wasn't your fault," Yuzuha said, trying to retain her dignity it seemed, while Mokuba attempted to pick up the ball quickly that he had almost dropped upon contemplating the idea briefly of if Yuzuha had been ruder than she normally was.

"No, no, I should be the one to apologize. It was my fault after all," Mokuba recovering from his pause.

"Then why didn't you?" She asked, suddenly raising an eyebrow.

Mokuba's eyes widened realizing he didn't have an excuse on hand, "Uh, well, uh, you see there was this big thing and I didn't have the time to, not that you're not worth the time, just that I didn't get the chance to... do... so yet... anyway, sorry."

Yuzuha seemed to pout momentarily, debating whether or not she wanted to accept that excuse, when she sighed, realizing her own standoffish behavior too, and continued, "You're forgiven. By the way, you are coming on the Fuji Hike, right?"

Surprised, he quickly answered, "Oh yeah, yeah, gonna suck though with no wifi though, don't you think?"

Yuzuha shrugged, "I don't know, I think it could be fun. We could play games in the cabins and stuff."

"Games?" Mokuba repeated.

"Yeah, there are breaks and things at the huts," She said.

Mokuba nodded, "Well, if uh, if that's the case, then let me see what lightweight games I can bring."

"Alright, but fair warning, I'm a queen at Duel Monsters, if that's what you're thinking of bringing," Yuzuha teased with a smirk.

"Don't hold your breath," Mokuba winked, "I might have happened to pick up a few tricks from my brother here and there."

"Yeah, but not his Blue Eyes," Yuzuha told him, "So it's game on."

She turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving Mokuba only to come out of his trance with the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. Realizing that he was once again, late, he rushed out to meet his brother, hopping into today what was a Ferrari, before they sped off.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So today's a very special day! It's one of my best friend's birthdays! Happy Birthday Kari! I hope you had a wonderful day! ^_^ Anyway everyone, I know, this was a rather slow chapter, but I think you will all enjoy what it leads up to. Tell me what you thought in your reviews!

Later,

~Rena


	8. Chapter Eight: ものが言えない (Mono ga Ienai)

**Disclaimer:** I often question why I repeat this so often, but no, I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or any related properties. I'd be very rich if I did and… I don't think I

 **Author's Note:** Yeah, I really don't know why I broke this up, because I just kept writing…. Oh, I did get an interesting question in my reviews which I thought I'd address here though because it's very relevant. angiebabe asked why I was using the English names of characters when the story is clearly taking place in Japan and I'm heavily incorporating Japanese culture into the story. The honest answer? That's just how I know the characters as. I know Tea is originally Anzu, Joey is Jounouchi etc. But I grew up knowing her name as Tea and his name as Joey, so… I'm just sticking with it. It's just easier for me to write them with the names I first knew them as. Hopefully that's not too much of a turn off. ^^; Thank you for being patient with me!

 _ **Terms-**_

 _Ryokan_ \- A traditional Japanese Inn, generally featuring tatami mats on the floor and sliding doors and other traditional features of Japanese homes and other formal settings. Yukata are general provided for guests' use and many also feature Ofuro or Onsen and Kaiseki meals.

 _Kawaguchiko_ \- A lake just north of Mt. Fuji, the host of dozens of ryokan.

 _Minnie-chan_ \- How people in Japan refer to Disney's Minnie Mouse

 _Pocari Sweat_ \- A sports drink similar to Gatorade, but with not as strong a flavor. I've seen it in the US, but I'm not sure how popular it is region to region...

Today's Chapter Title means "Speechless".

 **-YGO-**

 _"_ _Something happened for the first time deep inside_

 _It was a rush, what a rush_

 _'Cause the possibility_

 _That you would ever feel the same way about me_

 _It's just too much, just too much…"_

-"Crush" sung by David Archuleta

 **Chapter Eight:** **ものが言えない** **(Mono ga Ienai)**

"So how was school today?" Seto asked, as he slowed the Ferrari at a red light.

"Uhh..."

"What happened?" Seto demanded with intense seriousness and annoyance in his voice.

"Nothing, just um, I'm doing damage control with Yuzu-chan right now and I kinda promised her that I'd bring some of the latest card games on our Fuji Hike..."

"I thought you were and I quote 'going to ditch that' despite the fact that I already paid for it," Seto reminded him, unamused.

"Well now I'm going, so shouldn't you be happy?" Mokuba stated.

Seto thought it over for a moment. It was true, he was glad that this wouldn't be a waste of money, but it didn't mean that he was happy at the prospect of being alone for that weekend.

"Look, you can worry about what to do with your spare time without me later, can you turn off here? I wanted to swing by the game shop before I forget," Mokuba said.

"Why on earth do you want to go there? You and I both already have every card Pegasus has ever produced... unfortunately..." Seto said, after considering how useless half of them were anyway.

"Since before the gala that is. And you know Yugi's grandpa's shop is going to have everything new well before anyone else," Mokuba said, nudging Seto in a rather sore spot as since Yugi had officially started working for Pegasus, part of his contract had included an exclusive pre-release amendment that made it impossible for Kaiba Corp, and anyone else for that matter, to get a hold of new cards prior to Solomon Muto.

Seto sneered, turning off and making his way to the shop. They skidded to a halt and Mokuba jumped out.

"Thanks, Nii-sama. You coming in?" He asked.

"And deal with that obnoxious dog, Joey Wheeler? No thanks," Seto said, leaving the car in park as Mokuba shrugged and headed towards the shop.

Unlike his brother, Mokuba wasn't one to carry a grudge. He knew it was business. And in reality, Mokuba figured that this was just one more reminder that Seto had yet to beat Yugi in a Duel Monsters game, which was why it irked him the way it did. As they had arrived before the onslaught of Domino High Students had even gotten to their club activities, Mokuba expected to be the first in the store and subject to one of Joey's harassing speeches about his brother. Instead though, he found the place appearing surprisingly empty.

"Hello?" He called, when someone popped up from behind the counter, carrying a box.

But it wasn't someone he'd ever seen before. It was a girl. Er, woman, young woman. And she was wearing an apron, so clearly she was meant to be there, but still... who was she? She was stunningly beautiful and cute.

"Can I help you?" She asked, placing the box on the counter.

"Uh... er, are you new here?" Even as he said it, he realized it was a dumb question. Of course she was.

She nodded and smiled, "Yes, it's actually my first day. I'm kinda surprised myself..."

He blushed as she laughed. Dang, she was cute. Where on earth had Mr. Muto found a girl like her? He thanked his lucky stars that she was older than him, as it made it easier for him to concentrate on his request and goal for coming in.

"Uh, well, congrats, I guess. Work hard," He added.

"Thank you, I will. Is there anything special that you need?" She asked.

"Yeah, actually, uh, Mr. Muto is always getting new Duel Monsters cards and accessories before anyone else. Do you know where that would be?" He inquired.

"Um... I believe they're all going to be in this case here..." She said, motioning over to a case off to Mokuba's right, "But I could be wrong. I've never actually played the game... let me go get my manager. He can tell you more about it than I can. He was going to be right back..."

Mokuba watched as the young woman ran to the back of the store and into Yugi's house. He looked at the ground in total confusion. Never played Duel Monsters? The heck, who was she? Whoever she was, she came back shortly, following behind Joey.

"Hey hey!" Joey said, "If it isn't the tolerable Kaiba brother."

"Hi Joey," Mokuba said, rolling his eyes at that nickname which was both a compliment to himself and a dig at Seto.

"It's rare of you to come in here," Joey continued, making conversation, "Whatcha need?"

"I got a trip up Fuji with school coming up and I need some of the latest cards so that I don't die of boredom on the trip," He informed the bleach blonde behind the counter.

"Ah, well, yeah, most of the new stuff is out there like Kisara showed you; oh! Mokuba, Kisara, I guess you haven't formally met yet," Joey said, upon realizing the situation, "Mokuba, this is Kisara. Kisara, this is Mokuba Kaiba. He's the cute one out of the two Kaiba brothers and the one most people care to be around."

"Nice to meet you," She said, bowing slightly to him. As he bowed back, she suddenly recalled Tea mentioning a 'Kaiba' from an earlier conversation. If there were two, then was he the one Tea had referred to or was it the other...

"It's nice to meet you too," Mokuba said, "So are you a friend of Joey's or just a new hire or..."

"Bit of both," Joey answered for her, "Well, she was friends with Yugi first and then Tea and I met her, but we've spent the whole afternoon together now, training and stuff."

Kisara nodded with a small little smile on her face and Mokuba did the same, "Well, uh, I hope to see you around here more then."

"You as well. I hope you can find something that you like here," She said.

"I'm sure I can," Mokuba replied, now moving to stare inside the case.

His eyes scanned the various cards, but most of what he saw he already had, "Joey, you don't have anything newer than this?"

"Only you'd ask that," Joey said rolling his eyes, "Who are you trying to impress this time? Or is it a gift for your brother?"

Mokuba laughed, "Unless you're going to hand over that Blue Eyes, then no, Seto can get his cards himself. I'm trying to impress a girl named Yuzu-chan. She's a cutie."

Joey nodded, "Well... you can check in here. They're about 150,000 yen a piece though..."

Joey struggled to lift an extremely heavy box before setting it on the wooden counter which he was sure it would support the mammoth. It was designed that way to make it difficult to carry out if one were to attempt to steal it. He unlocked it and inside the cards were held underneath a 4 cm thick glass cover.

"Honestly, kinda hoping you already have one of these three. I'll have to get Yugi or Gramps to open up this sucker," Joey told the high schooler, "Hey, Kisara, can you go see if Yugi's awake? I was about to earlier, but..."

"That's okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I honestly don't think he should be sleeping this late anyway..."

She nodded and ran inside to do as she was asked. Mokuba looked it over and pulled out his phone to double check that they didn't have the cards inside. Once he was sure he had nothing of the sort, he broke the 'bad' news to Joey, "Sorry man, but I'll be taking those two today."

Joey shrugged, "It's fine. Once Yugi's up it won't take too long. He's been sleeping all day, poor guy."

"He's that tired?" Mokuba asked.

"Yeah, that flight takes it out of ya, but you know th-"

But Joey was cut off when the door to the game shop practically slammed open.

Upstairs, Kisara shook Yugi's shoulder upon finding the sign indicating his bedroom and daring to enter, "Yugi…"

Yugi barely stirred and so she tried again, this time a little harder, "Yugi, we kinda need you downstairs..."

Yugi opened an eye wearily before catching sight of his clock, at which point, he yelled and sat up in an instant, scaring Kisara to the point that she almost fell backwards onto the floor.

"It's already after 3?!" Yugi yelled reaching for a pair of pants out of his closet.

"Um, yes, Joey didn't know if you needed to be woken up or..."

"Yes, yes! We were supposed to lift up the tablet today. Shoot, shoot, shoot..." He said, not even bothering to worry about the fact that Kisara was in the room as he pulled his pants over his boxers.

"Um, uh, well, Yugi, uh, Joey said he needed you in the shop to open a case..."

"Huh?" Yugi said, pulling a linen-cotton blend button up over his head, "Oh, shoot, the locked case..."

He scrambled out the door and down the stairs in a run, Kisara right behind him. Downstairs, both Mokuba and Joey winced as Mokuba's older brother strolled in, taking half the steps of a normal person due to his height and long legs.

"Mokuba, you've been in here for over twenty minutes, what on earth is taking so long?" He demanded, clearly irritated.

"Nii-sama, it hasn't been twenty minutes," Mokuba shot back at his brother.

If it had been anyone other than Mokuba, Seto would have shot back that clearly he didn't understand the concept of telling time. Instead, he glared at him in disapproval.

"Well, Wheeler, want to explain to me why you're taking so long to sell my brother the cards?" He glanced over to see the cards. He technically already had them and the fact that he did gave him a small tinge of satisfaction, despite the fact that he had technically hired someone to buy them for him from this very location...

"Hold your horses, Kaiba," Joey said, "I need Yugi to open the case."

"You mean to tell me that they don't trust you enough to give you the code?"

"No, it's a retinal code compatible only with family members, idiot," Joey remarked.

"You mean to tell me this dinky shop can afford that kind of te-"

This time, it was Seto's turn to be cut off as the door to the house slammed open, with Yugi out of breath, his shirt not even fully tucked in as he moved to get behind the counter. Figuring it was Kaiba here to buy more cards, he quickly jumped over to the case and pressed his face against it for the scanner to read his iris.

"There, buy whatever you want," He breathed as the case opened upon recognizing him.

But even as the case popped open, Seto's eyes didn't move. Following after Yugi, Kisara had skidded to a halt in the doorway, doing her best not to slip and fall. But when she had finally regained her balance and found her footing, the moment she looked up, they had caught sight of one another. Seto stood frozen in place as did she. His mind raced and quickly matched her with the woman he had seen yesterday while his vocal chords seemed to become locked in his throat, unable to move an inch. Even though he had caught glimpses of her from far away, seeing her here was... he was just speechless. He tried to do something, anything, figure out why he wasn't able to do anything. And what must she be thinking right now.

"Uh, Seto?" Mokuba asked, noticing his brother's stance, "You want anything?"

Seto swallowed, doing his absolute best not to show his surprise. Though no one could see it, Kisara did the same. _It's him._ That single thought repeated over and over in her head. Finally, Yugi regained his footing and panted out.

"Kaiba, are you going to buy something, or not? I have to go..." He breathed.

"Actually, I was going to make the purchase," Mokuba told him.

Yugi looked between the two, slightly surprised, but again worked on catching his breath when he noticed Kaiba and Kisara staring at one another, "Oh uh, Kaiba, this is Kisara... Kisara, this is Seto Kaiba."

In the quietest voice, she managed to supply a response, though not one that she expected, "How do you do?"

Seto found himself tongue tied and extremely irritated with himself. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he form a grammatically acceptable answer? And why couldn't he stop looking at her? In response, he merely nodded.

Mokuba glanced between the two, and a sly look came over his face, "Seto, Kisara's working at the game shop now."

"Wait, what?" Yugi panted out.

"Oh yeah, Yug, you were asleep, so I didn't get the chance to tell ya. I hired her today," Joey told him.

Yugi in his exhaustion, mulled the idea over for a second before deciding that it wasn't actually a bad one. Maybe he and his grandpa could rest a bit more. It's not like they couldn't afford a second worker... He stumbled over to the door, but stopped when he saw Kisara still standing frozen in the doorway.

"Uh, Kisara?" He asked.

She looked down at him from the step she was on before answering with a slight 'oh' and moving out of his way. As Yugi passed her, he realized what he had just done like a ton of bricks hitting his gut. He had just introduced Kisara and Seto to one another. He winced as he inwardly groaned. He would have preferred not to do it this way, with him racing out or risking losing his job. Rather sitting Kaiba down with her and explaining everything would have been preferable. He was sure that this was going to come back and bite him, but he didn't have the time to worry about it now. He'd have to explain it later.

It was at the point that Yugi left though that Seto finally managed to blink and turn his gaze away from her. He frantically wracked his brain for something to explain his chest, which felt like it was both constricted and moving at an alarming rate through time, even as he stood perfectly still and time continued to move at its normal pace. He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't hear the conversation between Joey and Mokuba or even Mokuba inserting his credit card and effectively purchasing two cards that he'd likely never use more than once for the price of a high end laptop.

What brought him out of his trance were two hands holding up a bag for him to take, "Um, Mr. Kaiba, your cards."

Seto looked up to see the two pristine hands belonging to the woman, Kisara, with white hair. And the most stunning blue eyes he had ever seen.

He reached out to take them, somehow managing words this time, "Thank you."

She bowed slightly and went to return to the counter when Seto's trance was interrupted by Mokuba's yelling of his name, "Oi, Nii-sama, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Seto said, "About what?"

"About that idea; While I'm climbing Fuji," Mokuba began, "You and the others should all go to Kawaguchiko and visit one of the ryokan."

Seto blinked a few times. What had he missed?

His mouth starting to open when Joey piped in, "Yeah, I could totally go for that. Would have to get off and check the bank account, maybe not stay at the ryokan itself..."

That snapped him out of his daze completely, but for some reason, his normal instinct to insult Wheeler for even thinking he'd go anywhere with him was stifled and Mokuba spoke in his place, "Naw, man, my treat. You and Yugi and Tea and Tristan and all of them. And Kisara too, if you'd like. That way Seto won't be lonely while I'm gone."

"Mokuba, I don't need-"

"Aw, does someone actually like to have company around him?" Joey teased, though he stopped when Seto sent him a death glare threatening to murder his first born child.

"Then it's settled!" Mokuba exclaimed, before turning to the game shop's newest employee, "Kisara, will you be joining them? I know we just met and all, but if you're friends with Yugi, you're cool in my book."

Kisara looked between him and Seto very briefly, who turned away instinctively, before answering, "Um, well, if it's not a burden..."

"'Course not!" Mokuba told her; he turned to Seto, "Come on, Nii-sama, we can't stay any longer or you're going to be late."

Seto felt himself being pulled along by his brother out the door. He turned his head to glance one more time over his shoulder at the young woman as the door shut behind them, suddenly trying to find his footing and not trip as they went to the car. Mokuba pulled the ticket off of the car and stuffed it in his wallet.

"You may now thank me," He said smugly as they climbed into the car, Seto noticing he was somehow shaking a bit at this point, as though an adrenaline rush had hit him like a cannonball.

"Wait, what?" He demanded, sudden fury overtaking him, "Why would I thank you for setting up a long weekend for me to spend with Yugi and of all people, Joey freakin' Wheeler?!"

"Because Kisara will be there too," Mokuba said, a very sneaky grin revealing itself on his face.

"Wha... what difference does that make?" Seto demanded, attempting to find the stick and missing it a few times before he finally caught a hold of it and started to drive, very slowly regaining his ability to make his body function properly.

"Because you like her, don't you?" Mokuba said, drinking in his brother's crush like it was a Pocari Sweat.

Seto scoffed, "Like her? I, I don't even know her."

"But you weren't able to stop looking at her, Nii-sama. You looked as smitten as Mickey Mouse does when he stares at Minnie-chan," Mokuba said in a sing song voice.

"Are you comparing me to an animated rodent?" Seto shot back.

"Hey, if the shoe fits," Mokuba replied.

Out of nowhere, the two of them felt the car skid quickly as Seto's foot hit the brakes upon seeing a red light immediately in front of them that he had previously not seen. They came to a screeching stop in the road, barely before the lanes crossing in front of them.

"I am not smitten," Seto put quite simply, trying to turn his brother's attention away from him.

"Yeah, yeah, say what you want, but you forget I live with you and I haven't seen you so unable to do anything since Yugi beat you with Exodia," Mokuba said, leaning back in his seat, a proud look on his face.

"I am not going to Kawaguchiko, Mokuba," Seto stated looking at his brother.

Mokuba turned his head and glared at his brother and suddenly Seto felt like Mokuba was about to threaten him as he encroached immediately on his space. It was a bizarre dynamic and one that he hadn't anticipated.

"Nii-sama, if you don't go, I'll sell one of your Blue Eyes to Joey Wheeler for 500 yen," He said.

"You wouldn't dare," Seto said, glaring back, suddenly livid.

"Wanna bet?" Mokuba said, a maniacal look on his face that made Seto want to leave the car to get away from. What on earth, since when could Mokuba do that?

"Fine," He said, slamming the accelerator down as the light turned green.

Mokuba leaned back once again, smug in his seat while Seto drove them off to Kaiba Corp. As Seto gripped the wheel, his mind felt like it was going to overwork itself and start to produce steam upon shutting down. He cursed himself for giving Mokuba access to the card safe. But Mokuba was smart. He knew that Seto was constantly changing the location of the Blue Eyes. And he knew all of Seto's best spots. He debated on ways to just hide the Blue Eyes in a new location, but he knew Mokuba would figure it out. There was no way to avoid what Mokuba had just arranged..

The cards flashed in his mind and he felt like the dragon's eyes pierced him through the chest, with his mind rewinding the events that had just transpired... and her... He wasn't sure why he had become so tongue tied around her or had been unable to stop looking at her. Even in the mall, he couldn't pin what exactly was so important about her that he had needed to rush over to the railing to see if he could catch a glimpse of her again.

Perhaps this was just infatuation. He had never really thought about girls in that manner before, but she was... admittedly lovely. His eyes shot up at the realization that his mind had just come upon that word. He was 99% certain that he'd never even used that word to describe anything else in the past. Seto shook his head. Perhaps this was just a physical attraction. That had to be it. She had a very different look to her, and in theory, that could be what was striking to him about her.

But in the back of his mind, something nagged at him that he wished would cease. It was the way she looked at him. It was... gentle, without any harboring of malice or force, only good will. It was insanely entrancing. He blinked rapidly, trying to break free of the memory.

 _I don't know her. She's just a girl I saw at the mall,_ he told himself as they arrived in front of Kaiba Corp.

Mokuba jumped out, his hands behind his head and began to walk up towards the door. Seto sat in the car just a moment longer. He brought a hand up to his chest. Regardless of what he was telling himself though, he found himself hard pressed to find a reason why he felt so... warm all of a sudden, right where his heart was beating, which felt very light in weight. He shook his head and let out a sigh as he got out of the car and slammed the door.

Fine. He'd go to Mokuba's thing. But just because Kisara would be there and he likely found her... attractive, it didn't mean anything would change. He'd still loathe every second of it. And he set his mind as he determined to make it so.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So a funny note, some of you likely know, but Kaiba's name has the kanji for Horse in it, so Joey to tell him to "hold his horses" is rather clever on his part I think. XD Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know it took a while for them to finally meet, but I think it was worth the wait? Maybe? -shrugs- Ah, well, let me know what you thought!

Later,

~Rena


	9. Chapter Nine: 旅館 (Ryokan)

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, what makes anyone think that the status of this would change since the last update? In other words, nope, still don't own them.

 **Author's Note:** Hey all! Missed you all! So much going on these days. But instead of rambling, I'm going to keep this short and sweet and let you get onto the story… :)

 _ **Terms/Culture -**_

" _Sleeping on the job"_ \- Believe it or not, in general, if you were to fall asleep at your desk in exhaustion in Japan, it would be seen as a sign that you're working very hard.

 _Bathing pattern_ \- In Japan, most people wash themselves outside of the tub first with soap to remove grime or dirt, then once they are finished 'washing', they take a soak in the tub.

 _Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park_ \- An amusement park on the outskirts of Mt. Fuji

 _Mocchi Choco Bread_ \- A Bread with chocolate swirls inside, having almost the consistency of a dough. Literally the best bread ever. Ever.

 _Suzuya_ \- A Ryokan based off of the famous Kozantei Ubuya, a Ryokan near by Kawaguchiko. The name comes from two kanji, one meaning 'cool and refreshing' and the other meaning 'shop', 'store', or 'room'.

 _Okami-san/sama_ – The hostess of a Ryokan

 _Kaiseki_ – a traditional Japanese Feast type meal; very fancy, normally including over 6 dishes, though the dishes are rather small.

 _Fuji-san_ –how the Japanese refer to Mt. Fuji.

 _Yukata_ – Cotton like robe/Kimono, normally worn at onsen and summer festivals.

 _Shoji doors_ –The name for the sliding paper doors found in a traditional Japanese home or building. Not normally as thick as Fusuma doors.

 _Konbini_ – A Convenience Store, generally really clean with a variety of items available, including meals and snacks. Examples of chains include Lawsons, Family Mart, and 7 Eleven.

Today's Chapter Title "Ryokan" is the term for a Traditional Japanese Inn, which provide a very expensive, but relaxing experience.

 **-YGO-**

" _How does a moment last forever?_

 _How does our happiness endure?_

 _Through the darkest of our troubles,_

 _Love is beauty, love is pure._

 _Love pays no mind to desolation,_

 _It flows like a river through the soul,_

 _Protects, proceeds, and perseveres,_

 _And makes us whole."_

-"How Does a Moment Last Forever" by Celine Dion

 **Chapter Nine:** **旅館** **(Ryokan)**

Yugi bolted into the display room only to find all of the lights turned off. He panted, trying desperately to catch his breath. How could he have slept all day?

"Ishizu?" He called out, but his voice returned in an echo.

Sighing, he flipped the switch, hoping somehow even though he was now there after hours that he could do some work which would reveal something. But as he cast his gaze around, his eyes widened. Cautiously moving his feet forward, Yugi found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the broken pieces of tablet in front of him, which were now erect and upright, having only been lifted from where they had fallen. He kneeled down, placed a hand hesitantly on one of the tablets and tried to carefully brush it off.

But there was nothing to brush off.

"Very interesting."

Yugi spun around to see Pegasus standing at the entryway, smiling. His employer stepped forward so that his shadow seemed to engulf Yugi's frame.

"If I recall," He continued, "You said the third tablet had what you believed to be the original carving of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, did you not?"

Yugi swallowed, trying to think fast as Pegasus went on, "But this to me... looks mostly like an empty tablet... a spare perhaps?"

Yugi looked back at the tablet. It was true. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. No imprints. No impressions. No patterns. It was gone. But it had been there. It had been. So where was it... Almost like a puzzle piece snapping into place, Yugi's mind found a likely answer and he did his best poker face to hide it.

"No... you're right..." He said slowly, "This should have had the Blue Eyes on it."

"Hmm..." Pegasus said, bringing a hand up to his chin and nodding, "Then how do you suppose this came to have nothing on it?"

Yugi bit the inside of his lip before hesitatingly giving a 'guess', "Perhaps it has something to do with the impact... Or possibly even sabotage..."

He moved his hand along a dip in the tablet where the Blue Eyes would have been, "Perhaps the fall was too great and it shattered the remaining stone into dust- it was already fragile to begin with..."

Pegasus' eye narrowed, but he gave a slight nod, "And you said sabotage was the other?"

"Well... possibly..." Yugi said standing up, "Perhaps someone was out to frame Kaiba for something... you and him tend to be the victims of many a... vengeful individual's desire for your downfall in this industry... Maybe they had devised a set up and were just waiting for Kaiba to see the stone before they destroyed it. It would make him look very bad and cause strained relations between you and Kaiba Corp."

Pegasus was silent and Yugi prayed that he was buying this on the spot lie that he was trying to sell. He waited for what felt like an eternity before Pegasus spoke again.

"I'll have security look into it," Pegasus finally said, "I'd hate for a rift to grow between Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp."

Yugi let out a quiet sigh of relief, though knowing Pegasus, the response was little confirmation that he believed what Yugi was saying. He suddenly realized that Pegasus might have spoken to Ishizu and if he had, his lie had likely been seen right through immediately.

"I'm sorry I don't have more immediate answers," He said.

"Not to worry, boy. Ishizu had mentioned that she was surprised that you weren't here today though. Everything alright?" He asked.

"Oh well, I uh, I accidentally overslept..." He said, rubbing the back of his head apologetically.

He half wondered if the 'sleeping on the job' thing was something that would actually impress Pegasus or not, as the guy was an American, but he'd lived in Japan for quite some time now where it was actually not the worst thing in the world to do while on the job. It showed some immense dedication… Though to be fair, he'd fallen asleep at home and not at a desk.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but you must have been exhausted if that was the case," Pegasus responded, "Don't you even worry about it, why don't you go on home and finish resting up? It'll help you with the rest of the week."

Yugi nodded, but once again looked behind him at the massive pieces of slab that had once been the tablet, now blank of any engravings. As he left, he felt his stomach twist up in knots. Once out of earshot of Pegasus and out of sight, Yugi took out his phone and dialed Ishizu. It rang only two times before his immediate superior answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ishizu?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi, what on earth? Where were you today?" She began.

"I overslept, I'm really sorry. But um, Ishizu, if it's not too much to ask, the tablet, you saw it didn't you?"

The line was quiet for a moment before he received an answer, "Yes, I saw it Yugi."

"Did you happen to, uh, maybe, mention to Pegasus any theories as to what happened to the Blue Eyes engraving?"

On the other end, Ishizu looked around. Though she was off the clock, she was still with those working closely with Pegasus from Industrial Illusions.

"No, I didn't," She said finally, before adding, "Do you know what happened exactly?"

"I have a theory..." Yugi began, "But uh, if you could, uh, fail to mention anything to him, I'd really appreciate that..."

"May I ask why?" Ishizu said under her breath.

"Just, I don't want him jumping to conclusions and... it might involve someone else and their safety..." Yugi said, knowing that Pegasus had a tendency for being... eccentric to say the least.

"You mean the owner?" Ishizu inferring Kaiba.

"No, someone else," Yugi said, getting the message.

Ishizu wanted to ask more, but sensing Yugi's concern, she decided it would be better to inquire on the matter later when they were alone, "Alright, you have my word."

"Thanks, Ishizu, I owe you one," Yugi said, letting go of a breath that he had been holding.

"Just don't get into trouble," Ishizu said, an ironic smile crossing her face.

Yugi could be like Marik in that sense sometimes, easily getting in over his head. It was endearing and yet migraine inducing at times.

"I won't. See ya, Ishizu," He replied.

"See you," She said, before hitting the disconnect button and returning to her present company.

Yugi heard the beep indicating the end of the call and dropped his phone to his side. He walked up the two flights of stairs to the train barrier before swiping his card to get to the platform. He sat on one of the uncomfortable benches with only two bars of metal across the bottom and back, his thumbs stuffed in his two side pockets as his brow furrowed in thought.

The Blue Eyes was gone. That meant it was here. Somewhere. It had to have been released by Kaiba. And he was fairly certain that the fact that Kisara had blue eyes and and white hair could hardly be a coincidence. His immediate instinct was that she was the Blue Eyes White Dragon. But then why didn't she remember anything? Why, if she was the Blue Eyes, did she remember Atem and not the Priest? And how could she not know that she was the Blue Eyes if indeed, that is what she was?

The biggest flaw in his theory though seemed to be that Kisara was not a dragon. Could she have been connected to the Blue Eyes then? Like Mahad had been connected to the Dark Magician? But again, wouldn't she remember then? No, they had to be two different things. Right? And if that was the case, then the dragon was still roaming around somewhere and Kisara was... and that led him back to square one, along with the fear that an actual dragon was out flying around Domino City.

He dropped his head into hands and groaned, when the sound of a train arriving met his ears. He looked up to see the doors opening and passengers filing out. He stood to get in line to board when he noticed a face in the crowd that he hadn't seen in ages. A man, possibly in his thirties, resembling the Ishitars in appearance. But two large earrings hung from his ears and over what looked to be a clean shaven head that seemed to be hidden under a turban. Yugi's eyes widened ten fold.

 _Shadi._

Immediately, Yugi got out of line and tried to make his way to him, but passers by blocked his way and he struggled to weave through the crowd.

"Shadi!" He called as more people moved in front of him, "Shadi!"

He saw Shadi turn to see him, but he didn't move as Yugi struggled. He continued to maneuver his way towards him though, getting closer with every step. Right as the final passengers boarded in front of him though, allowing Yugi clear sight of the platform, he found no sign of the spirit that he thought had been allowed to cross over to the other side, even though... Atem had finally managed to find peace. He swerved around, looking for any sign of him. For a moment, he wondered if he had imagined him, but the idea quickly left him. No. He had seen Shadi. And if Shadi was here it meant something from the past was coming back.

And it also meant, Yugi realized, that it was possible that Atem was still reachable as well.

He swallowed hard before a determined expression graced his features. His usual demeanor was always happy, bright, and lighthearted. But this, this was an expression that even he knew, made him resemble Atem more than anything. It was filled with a strong resolve to find an answer, solve a mystery, and beat a game. It was times like these that he knew that Atem couldn't just be gone. He was still there. He had to be, because Yugi could practically feel their mutual desire to win pulsing through his body. Their bond wasn't something that could be broken simply by passing beyond the grave. Atem couldn't be gone for good. He knew it.

He knew it.

 **-YGO-**

The long day had thoroughly exhausted Kisara. After getting a new job, she had worked all day with Joey to learn the ins and outs of the shop. She worked to unload new merchandise, stock shelves, assist customers when she could, and clean messy playing tables every now and then. After 6 or so, she had also met what Joey had called the 'usual' round of customers, who all seemed very happy to meet her.

However, she found herself really only to be able to work at full capacity up until a certain point. And after that, she had instantly felt that capacity decrease. Joey didn't seem to notice, but Kisara had. Her brain acted like a sive, barely catching anything Joey was really telling her. She had been scolding herself all day for it. But that moment...

She heard the door to the bathroom open and Tea stepping out, peachy and red all over, covered in a towel.

"Bath's open," She said happily.

Kisara nodded. She took the towel that Tea offered her before stepping into the bathroom. Disrobing and placing her clothes over the bar along with her towel, she turned on the shower head and waited for it to get warm before sitting herself down on the stole and beginning to scrub herself down as Tea had told her to do before getting into the tub, which was much taller than she had first noticed and brimming with hot water. After she had thoroughly gotten the suds out of her hair and cleaned herself, she tentatively dipped her foot, than her leg, then the other into the tub, eventually submerging herself completely in the warm bath. It was incredibly relaxing, but her muscles seemed beant on not allowing her any rest.

 _Seto Kaiba._

He had to be the man she had seen at the mall barely 24 hours ago. He had to be. But why was she so stuck on him? What was it about him? She kept trying to dive into her lost and hazy memories, wondering if somehow she knew him. But nothing surfaced. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes in irritation and sadness at her inability to recall anything. She tried to remember exactly what she had felt, both at the mall and at the game shop.

At the mall, there was that electric feeling, as she was calling it. And warmth. At the game shop... she had been startled to see him. But also eerily... fixated on him. And unable to break eye contact with him. She felt like he was important, noteworthy, more than just a face passing by... but that wasn't it exactly... She sunk her face half way into the water, letting herself breath out through her nose just enough to make tiny bubbles. Yes, he was important... but that seemed to be on a much more... matter of fact level. No, what had kept her gaze on him wasn't that. It was how incredibly... safe she felt in his presence. Like she could breath a sigh of relief and not worry about all that was going on around her. It was the way he carried himself and the look in his eyes. He was strong-willed, determined, and... she paused, trying to find the word in her mind. Was it kind? Compassionate? Empathetic? No...

Trustworthy?

Kisara sunk her head under the water completely and let the water seep into every crevice of her skin as she held her breath. Finally, she surfaced taking a deep breath. She couldn't believe what she was thinking. She had only just met him. And barely even that... She shouldn't be assigning him adjectives like that... but it didn't change the fact that she did feel like she could trust him. That she was safe around him... She looked at her fingers and noticed that she was beginning to prune. Standing up quickly, she realized her mistake as her skin got goosebumps immediately. She wrapped the towel around her and twisted her hair free of water and after which, drained the tub.

Watching the water spiral down and out of sight, Kisara couldn't help but wish to bring it all back. So it would show itself to her again. Like she wished her memories would. She sighed. She had other things to worry about. Like mastering the responsibilities of the Game Shop. And the Ryokan trip. She didn't even know what a Ryokan was. Tea had briefly told her about it, but if there was anything to be gleaned from that brief conversation, it was clear that she was in for the experience of her life.

 **-YGO-**

Seto Kaiba fumed. He couldn't believe that Mokuba would dare force him to spend time with six of the most obnoxious people on the face of the earth. Needless to say, he was ticked.

Even worse was the three hour drive he was forced to spend in the private bus that Mokuba had hired out to take them all to the ryokan. Seto had originally thought about sneaking out and driving there by himself (all out ditching wasn't an option), but Mokuba had already thought of that and had stolen his various sets of keys and backups in the middle of the night. What baffled Seto most was how he hadn't expected that, considering that Mokuba had been planning to stay up all night so that he could get his body ready and adjusted for the night hike that he and his classmates would be taking.

Perhaps that was the main reason that this trip was already becoming rather unbearable. Mokuba was off with his classmates. While he was mostly wishing that Mokuba would blow it with the latest girl he had his eyes on, Yuzuka or Yuzuha or whatever her name was, as retribution for this torture, deep down he knew that mostly he was just missing that punk. The bus was loud and he had difficulty reading his book as he started to feel sick once they hit the mountainous roads of the Japanese Alps. He had decided to barricade himself off to the back of the bus, away from the rest of the occupants.

Though Seto often found himself re-ranking this list, in order of most annoying to least annoying, the occupants in the bus included: Joey Wheeler, Duke Devlin, Tristan Taylor, Joey Wheeler, Tea Gardner, Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Serenity Wheeler, and Kisara... who, Seto realized, he still hadn't heard her last name. The top three of the list all took turns trading places, though Joey tended to remain at the top of the list. Sometimes Yugi and Tea would switch back and forth, but most of the time, Tea would outrank Yugi purely due to her high pitched squeals that rattled his ear drums.

Serenity was fine, but the fact that she was Joey's sister did nothing in her favor and often Seto would find himself rolling his eyes as she and Tristan flirted, which just boarded on gag worthy whenever he caught sight of it. The only benefit was that it clearly enraged Joey, which gave Seto some kind of small satisfaction. And Kisara... well, Seto found himself avoiding looking at her as much as possible, doing his best to thwart his brother's scheming before it had the chance to begin. To be fair, she really wasn't actually annoying at all, but that's why she was at the bottom of the list.

While most of the time, the gang seemed bent on either playing one another at Duel Monsters, taking selfies on their phones, and singing terrible attempts at acapella Disney karaoke, on occasion, they'd all calm down long enough for Seto to be able to ignore them properly. When he found himself unable to read, he'd do his best to rework some of the various decks he had, being sure to keep his notes out of sight of Yugi and Joey, but especially Yugi. He doubted Joey would know what to do with them even if he got them. Every now and then though, he'd glance up to keep tabs on what was going on. After all, if something broke, he wanted to know who he'd be fining for it.

When they were about 30 minutes away, his eyes shot up to take in his surroundings. The four of the boys were busy playing a game with Serenity torn between rooting for her brother or her boyfriend. Tea was taking a nap and Kisara was sitting off by herself looking out the windows. She seemed to be taking in all of the views with great interest, as though it was her first time seeing mountainous land. Seto briefly wondered if it was, but dismissed the thought.

It was an accurate assumption though. Kisara found her eyes dazzled by the beauty of the mountains and the rivers running between them. As they passed Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park, she found herself amazed at the twisting turning vehicles that passed over tracks in the air in loops, seeming to defy gravity. She smiled wide. She had been very worried about this trip. In the week that had passed since the trip had been decided upon by Seto's younger brother, she had faced whirlwind of information coming into her brain.

She had learned the inner workings of the game shop, her way to and from Tea's apartment to work on her own, and how to best dry laundry out on the balcony. She had gotten a small 'paycheck' for her first week in cash, which she since had started to spend primarily on food, which allowed her to try all kinds of tasty treats, her favorite of which was the Mocchi Choco Bread sold in the Lawsons konbini store she passed every day on the way from the train station to the shop. It was 110 yen and worth every bit of it, providing her with a little taste of what must be heaven every morning for breakfast.

Every day had given her a new surprise and today was no different. The many foliage present to her eyes were in full bloom, the trees soaking in the warm sun and reflecting its rays into her eyes off of the silken leaves. But even as they passed the beautiful scenery and she tucked her legs under her so she was kneeling down on the seat looking outward, she felt a sense of awkwardness that failed to leave her, just as she continually failed to be able to look at the benefactor of the trip's brother behind her for more than five seconds.

She had yet to figure out what it had been in the mall that day that had caught her attention about Seto. The indescribable factor seemed to enjoy laughing at her in her mind whenever the Kaiba brothers were mentioned, though that seemed to be rare and far in between, save for when they had been discussing the trip. She wanted to ask more about them, but at the same time, she found herself tongue tied at every opportunity.

Much of what she had gleaned regarded their respective reputations amongst the friend group she found herself now a part of. Mokuba Kaiba was regarded as a bit of a 'punk', but with a good heart. Joey also had said on occasion that Mokuba must have the patience of a saint due to having to live with Seto. However, Kisara was also quick to recognize that Joey held the elder brother in rather sore contempt. From what she had noticed in the brief time they had spent in the bus together, if anything, she noticed that Seto seemed a bit standoffish, but not to any real damaging fault.

Aside from what Joey and Tea had said about the two though, she still found herself rather unknowledgeable about them. As before, Tea had told her that the two owned a large gaming conglomerate and that Seto was one of the highest ranked duelists in the world, second only to Yugi, which had caused a rather intense rivalry between the two, the former of which displaying quite a bit of bitterness over the matter. So she knew he was a young business man and that he was a world renowned player at Duel Monsters. And that Joey detested him at times. That was about the extent of all that she had learned, nothing of which was very helpful to her.

She sat back down, letting her feet drop to the floor so that she was sitting normally again. What was not reassuring in any sense though, was that for some reason, the day before the trip, Yugi had approached her to give her a final piece of information and request in regards to the oldest brother.

" _Kisara, can you, do me a favor and uh, not tell Seto Kaiba about your uh, how we don't know… how you got here and stuff?" He had asked._

" _Why?"_

" _Seto's uh… really skeptical about these sorts of things. Not that I can blame him, but for now… I'd rather not tell him and cause you any unneeded trouble," Yugi said, seeming to choose his words carefully, "I'd rather tell him in a more… controlled setting."_

She wasn't sure what Yugi meant by a 'controlled setting', but she had agreed nonetheless to keep her origins from their acting host. Lost in her thoughts, she almost got scared at a tap she received on her shoulder from a book's spine. Looking up, she saw the very person she had been thinking about before standing above her awkwardly.

"We're here," He said hoarsely, like something was caught in his throat.

She looked around him and noticed that it was just the two of them on the bus. Everyone else had already debarked. She nodded at him before awkwardly standing up and making her way off the bus. She thanked the driver before hopping the last few steps down and out of sight. Behind her, Seto let out a breath that he had been holding. Originally, he had been hoping to just be the last one on the bus. But when Kisara hadn't left, he had had no choice but to say something to her. His chest seemed to relax slightly and he tugged at his collar, trying to loosen it a bit to let air into his lungs more easily. It had been obnoxiously hard to even tap her on the shoulder with his book, let alone speak to her.

Fighting off thoughts of Mokuba saying it was because he 'fancied' her, he disembarked finding himself amongst a noisy crowd of people that he detested. He looked up at the Ryokan. Mokuba had done a good job, he had to give him that. Suzuya was one of the highest ranking and most prestigious Ryokan in the area. It was one that he'd been to before, but only for business reasons. He had not had the chance to enjoy the relaxing Onsen offered by the facility.

He walked forward to meet the Okami-san at the entrance. She was wearing a dark purple Yukata and clearly was the hostess of the establishment, dignified, holding herself well for her age. He bowed slightly to her, resisting the red flush that came to his face out of the sheer embarrassment of Yugi's friends' loud and obnoxious behavior.

"Okami-sama, thank you for your hospitality," He said, politely.

If any of the group in the background had been paying attention, they would have likely been surprised by Seto's attitude. In most business settings, he was generally very forward and held a sense of arrogance about him. But today, it wasn't that Seto was being polite for the sake of being polite. Seto knew that his best chance for a good weekend likely would be held in this hostess' hands. It wasn't because he felt like it, it was his strategy. So, he was polite, even more so than he normally would have been too, considering Mokuba likely already stuffed her pockets with cash, so anything Seto gave her likely wouldn't sway her.

"We welcome you to Suzuya, Mr. Kaiba," The hostess said, "I am Aikawa Arisu, and as our main Okami-san is out on leave, I will be taking care of you this weekend. I take it these are your friends?"

Seto looked back to see the group had calmed down a bit thankfully, though he still was hesitant to call them 'friends'; instead he gave them a term he still wasn't fond of in regards to them, but found better than 'friends', "My associates, yes."

"Thank you for having us," They all added as they bowed to her, though their words did not synchronize, which irritated Seto slightly.

Mrs. Aikawa smiled warmly at them, "Well then, come, let me show you to your rooms."

Seto followed closely behind Aikawa first, after which Yugi and the rest came after. Yugi watched from behind as Seto continued to do his best to disassociate himself from the rest of them. It was disheartening to him. Throughout the whole trip, in addition to feeling guilty and worried for taking off of work, his nerves couldn't help but get worked up, knowing that Seto and Kisara were going to be in the same general vicinity. He wanted to tell Kaiba about where she came from, but not on a weekend getaway where Kaiba could easily leave them all stranded… So he had taken to watching the two out of the corner of his eye and, to his relief, they rarely seemed to interact much.

After passing through the genkan, or entryway of the hotel, they removed their shoes and put on slippers provided to them by the ryokan staff. Seto stooped down, picked up his loafers, then moved to the front of the group again, following Aikawa to their rooms. At the end of the hall on the top floor, Aikawa moved to her left and opened up the door, before bowing and allowing them to enter.

"I apologize, but you've missed the appointed time for your Kaiseki dinner, but hopefully the onsen's refreshing spring water makes up for that," She told them, though her words were quickly forgotten as the group got a glimpse of the room.

There was an audible gasp as the group stepped inside. The room, easily 20 tatami mats big, if not more, was a beautiful blend of both Japanese and Western décor. With low couches circling around a large 180 centimeter-screen television, a kotatsu table, two large California king beds, a large bathroom with a walk in shower, a deck with lounge chairs and full length windows allowing for a full few of Fuji-san and all of her splendor, and finally, a private outdoor onsen bath with glowing mood lights to illuminate the water, the room was in a word, stunning.

Everyone rushed inside, eager to look around, bumping past Seto's arm. The boys quickly went around the whole suite, looking around while Serenity and Tea wasted no time in squealing in delight and testing out the beds. Even as the boys unfolded their navy blue yukata, each perfect in length, Aikawa smiled at the delight she saw on their faces.

"The room meets your expectations?" She asked.

Seto nodded, though he wasn't really paying too much attention. Instead, his eyes had wandered to Kisara, who had gone out to the deck, looking out at the view as her white hair blew in the light breeze gracing her shoulders. However, Aikawa's next sentence startled him back to the here and now.

"This will serve as the boys' room. I'll escort you girls to the identical room next door," Aikawa began, turning to the hallway, when Seto instinctively grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

"Hold on. Are you telling me that I have to share a room with these…" He glanced around, trying to think of the best way to put what he thought of the likes of Joey Wheeler, "Individuals?"

"Mr. Kaiba, your brother requested that I place you with the rest of the gentlemen," She grabbed his hand, firmly squeezing his fingers tightly with a strength Seto hadn't expected, causing him to release her, "And I promised to follow his wishes."

He gasped as she released him and called off to the other girls, "Come now, dears, this way."

Tea and Serenity followed right away, before Tea called back to Kisara, "Kisara, you coming?"

Kisara spun around quickly, her hair doing a massive swoosh around her and Seto found himself forcing his gaze away from her. At this point, he felt he had to at least admit to himself that yes, she was quite pretty, but he had to ignore that. She grabbed her bags and at last the door shut behind her, giving the boys some privacy.

It was at that moment that the door shut, Seto felt like he'd just been sentenced to death as he stood in the room's genkan completely at a loss for words.

"Well," Joey started, pulling his shirt off and throwing it to the ground, "I call one of the beds!"

Seto whipped around so fast that it could have been a superhuman motion, glaring at Joey with the eyes of a demon.

"Floor."

Though the gaze was completely directed at Joey, the other three boys froze up as well, thoroughly mortified for Joey's safety. With that, Seto went to the bed to the left and dropped his bag down to get ready for the evening.

It was going to be a long night.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So I'm going to try to update one more time this month. Things are getting pretty busy over here, but I hope to keep this story to updating at least once a month. For those of you going through a rough day like Seto was, keep fighting, you'll get through it. Gambatte! (As the Japanese say) Let me know what you thought and I'll update as soon as I can!

Later,

~Rena


	10. Chapter Ten: 温泉 (Onsen)

**Disclaimer:** I went to the Seto Inland Sea last month … but the kanji is wrong so I guess I still don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!"... Drat. ^^;

 **Author's Note:** Ha, so I wanted to, but I didn't manage to post this before my vacation and then I got sick… from who knows what for like a week (I blame the long flight). But I'm on the mend and that means a new (longer) chapter for you guys! Enjoy!

 _ **Terms -**_

 _Noren_ \- fabric drapes that act almost like a door in a doorway.

 _Yu_ – This symbol: ゆ

 _Seiyu_ ‐Japanese Walmart, literally. Owned by the same corporation.

 _Obi -_ The tie that goes around the waste for a Yukata or Kimono

 _#4_ – The number four can be read a few ways, one of which is 'shi' in Japanese. While it has a different kanji from the number four, 'shi' can also be how one says the word 'death', giving the number four a similar connotation to unluckiness as the number thirteen does out here in the US

 _Showing the back of the neck_ \- This is thought of as very attractive in Japan.

 _Seiza_ \- Proper sitting stance while kneeling on the floor.

 _Arashi_ \- Most heavily merchandised, well known, and popular Boy Band in Japan. Members include Masaki Aiba, Satoshi Ohno, Kazunari Ninomiya, Jun Matsumoto (MatsuJun), and Sho Sakurai. The group rose to fame in 2005 around the time when they sang the opening theme to the drama "Boys Over Flowers", in which MatsuJun played the leading male role. It's impossible to not see their faces everywhere in Japan…. Seriously.

 _Meiji Chocolate_ -Think Japan's version of Hershey's Chocolate, but not as sweet.

 _NHK_ \- Japan's National Public Broadcasting Service System. A bit like BBC.

Today's chapter title literally means "Hot Springs"

 **-YGO-**

 **Chapter Ten:** **温泉** **(Onsen)**

The notice on the desk fluttered as the doors shut. The gentleman walked around to the side and peered over at the item left by his secretary. A leave request? From... Yugi Muto... His eye narrowed slightly. Really? At this critical stage? Or was it so critical...

He found himself torn. Yugi Muto normally was a very upright, good young man, eager to please and understanding of circumstances. But as of lately... he felt that Yugi had been keeping something from him.

And he didn't like secrets.

Pulling out a pen, Pegasus signed the request, approving it. Perhaps... he needed to get a second opinion.

 **-YGO-**

The girls room was just as stunning as the boys' had been. Kisara followed in after Tea and Serenity, just as excited as she had been before.

 _Wow._

It was the only word that kept repeating over and over in her head.

"I'll let you girls dress for the onsen then," Aikawa said, before shutting the door and giving the girls their privacy.

Kisara held her bag close to her, unsure of what to do next, when she heard Tea call her over, "Kisara, come on. This is your first time wearing a Yukata, right?"

Kisara nodded, slipping out of her slippers and walking over to the light pink thin cotton robes on the beds. Serenity had already begun to undress down to her panties and bra, leaving Tea to show Kisara what to do.

"These are actually pretty simple," Tea said, "There are more complicated ones that you wear at festivals, but these are really meant just to get you from point A to point B. So you pretty much just wear them like one of those bathrobes that I have back at home."

Kisara nodded and began to follow Tea's lead of stripping down to her undergarments, which she noticed, were much plainer than Tea or Serenity's. They had gotten them at the Seiyu store near Tea's apartment, so they were nothing special. Apparently, people in this time wore them, so she had been fine with something basic at the time. However, now she felt an odd twinge of embarrassment for only having something so simple, but she let it pass. At least she had some and wasn't borrowing from someone else.

As she wrapped the robe around her and started to tie it off, she found herself interrupted by Serenity, "Oh, Kisara, wait, it's left over right, not right over left…"

Kisara glanced up to see Serenity gesturing to the sides of how Kisara had wrapped the sides of the Yukata around herself incorrectly. She blinked a few times before blushing and switching it as Tea continued.

"Oh, thanks for catching that, Serenity," She said, "Yeah, sorry, it didn't occur to me; right over left is for a dead person."

Kisara looked up, shocked, "A… dead person?"

Tea laughed, "Yeah, it's part of how they're dressed before cremation, so it's considered unlucky to wear it that way. The same way that the number 4 is considered unlucky, since it can also read as 'death'."

Kisara nodded, a little spooked, but understanding. As she wrapped the yukata around herself properly this time, Tea helped her tie a bow in the back with the 'Obi' tie as she called it. Serenity finished putting her hair up before turning to the other two.

"Kisara, you should put your hair up," She said, "May I?"

Kisara glanced over as Tea checked the Obi one more time on her, "Huh?"

"Your hair, you want to show off the back of your neck," Serenity told her, sitting down on the bed and motioning for Kisara to do the same, "I'm a wiz at braiding, let me put it up for you."

"Oh… okay…" She said, grabbing her new brush and handing it to Serenity.

"Glad you're good at it, I'm awful at braids," Tea said as Serenity began the process.

"That's only because you've kept your hair short for years," Serenity laughed, "You should consider growing it out. Boys love long hair. I'm surprised that my brother hasn't asked you out yet, Kisara. He's always going on about long hair being incredibly sexy."

"Why would he ask Kisara out?" Tea said, spinning around to see them, "No offense, Kisara, but he's dating Mai, right?"

"He didn't tell you? They broke up," Serenity informed the two, "Or well, I think she broke up with him. He wouldn't give me any details…"

"Wait, when did this happen?" Tea asked, aghast.

"Um… last week," Serenity said, thinking for a moment, "I guess, I shouldn't say that about him though. He's not heartless… I think he was actually pretty broken up about it…"

"Aw, poor guy…" Tea said trailing off.

Kisara had noticed that Joey seemed to have an ebbing flow of energy in the store, which was different from when she had first met him… but she didn't even know he had been dating someone. He never said a thing. She suddenly felt very guilty for not somehow providing any additional support.

"At least he had you at the shop last week, Kisara," Tea said continuing, "I'll bet it was a huge help."

At the comment, Kisara found herself feeling just a bit better, as Serenity exclaimed, "Done!"

Serenity practically threw Kisara a hand mirror to look at herself. Her eyes widened as she marveled at how Serenity had somehow managed to get all of her hair up in a braid that wrapped around into a bun on the back of her head. Most of the time, her hair draped around her face, covering her completely. But this… this was… she felt very pretty.

"Well, come on, let's go!" Serenity said, as she practically jumped off of the bed towards the door.

Pulling herself out of her trance, Kisara quickly dropped the mirror onto the bed and followed the girls out of the room towards the elevator, which descended down quickly and gently to the bottom floor. Upon the doors opening, Kisara found a number of people out and about in Yukata as well. All the men were in a navy blue while all the women were in pink. It was almost amusing to see everyone matching and it brought a smile to her face.

The three girls walked over to a giant pink noren with a giant 'yu' hiragana symbol emblazoned over it, where Tea grabbed the three there quickly before they entered.

"Wait wait, selfie!" She said, pulling her phone up.

Kisara had since learned about selfies a number of times. Tea had shown her whenever they went out to dinner since, as Tea put it, she was an avid instagrammer, and was constantly posting selfies and pictures of her meals to the 'internet', something Kisara was still having trouble grasping the concept of. Pulling her hands up to the signature 'peace' sign that Tea had taught her, she smiled as the three girls snapped a photo on the tiny phone, another thing that Kisara was beginning to learn about. She didn't have one herself yet, but Tea figured Kisara could probably get one of her own soon enough after a few weeks of working at the game shop.

Tea pulled the phone back to show the girls the photo, "Great! I'm glad I remembered to do this before going in."

"Why?" Kisara asked.

"Well, you can't take photos in there," Tea said, shooting the photo off in a text to… "Yuugiou"

Kisara figured it out quickly and smiled. She had a feeling that Tea had a crush on Yugi, but out of respect had said nothing. It was cute though. The three girls entered the onsen's locker room, where to Kisara's surprise, all of the women inside were disrobing completely before them. Tea read one last text quickly before shutting her phone off.

"The boys say 'cute'," Tea said, "Also, Tristan wants to meet up with you later, Serenity."

"Of course he does," She said, walking over to a locker, "But he'll have to wait till Joey's asleep or I'll never hear the end of it."

Kisara's eyes widened further as both Tea and Serenity also disrobed and she looked at the ground, almost mortified. To her knowledge, she'd never stripped down in front of someone else, let alone total strangers.

"Kisara you okay?" Tea asked.

"I… are we supposed to…"

"Yeah, I thought you knew…" Tea said, "Are you okay with that?"

Kisara hesitated when she glanced around to see all of the women, in various shapes, heights, sizes, all happily getting ready to go into the hot springs. Her mind's gears worked away. No one was even batting an eye. Was it just her?

"Don't worry, no boys will see you. And it's all girls here," Tea continued, "If you want, you can carry a towel around you until we get to the springs."

Kisara nodded, now very self-conscious, but after a moment's thought, steeled herself for the experience at hand. She quickly took off her clothes and wrapped a towel around her, like Tea had said to do, before the three of them walked out to the onsen. Serenity stretched out her arms and let out a long sigh, before picking up a bucket from the fountain and dumping it over her shoulders.

"Oh, the water's nice!" She called to the other two.

"Awesome!" Tea called, picking up a bucket and handing it to Kisara, "Okay, you'll need to throw water over top of you to get rid of any grime on your body before you go in."

Kisara nodded, sucking in a breath and pulling the towel away, placing it on a bench. Facing away from the other girls, she dipped the bucket in the water and in one fell swoop, dumped the water over herself like she had seen Serenity do. She gasped, but found the experience enjoyable and laughed. It had been warm and the steamy air prevented any chills she might have had. The girls repeated the whole thing about three times before Kisara grabbed her towel again as they walked over to the spring which was outside.

As they got to the spring, Serenity got in first and waved for them to come in. Tea followed quickly, leaving Kisara to be last once again.

"Oh, that's nice!" Tea exclaimed, leaning her shoulders back into the water.

Kisara glanced around, as though to make sure no one else would see her, before again, she pulled the towel away and made her way into the water. Immediately, her toes tingled at the heat, but she could feel her muscles practically call out in delight. It felt marvelous. To her amazement, the spring seemed to be filled with something in addition to the water. It was murky, but not in a dirty manner, as though a mist had fallen into the pool itself, hiding herself and the other girls within the pool.

"This is amazing!" She said, letting her shoulders submerge as well into the water.

Tea laughed, "I told you! The water also has minerals that are great for sore muscles."

"Really?" Kisara asked, "They can do that?"

"Oh yeah, there's all sorts of onsen like that, with specific natural treatments in the water and such," Tea said, taking a deep breath and relaxing, "This one is also supposed to prevent aging.."

"Hmm, yeah, man, this is a treat," Serenity said, "I don't know when the last time I was at an onsen was…"

"Yeah, it's nice…" Tea said, trailing off.

Kisara nodded and let herself relax on one of the large smooth stones in the water. She felt a flush of heat run to her cheeks as her back, legs, and arms felt like they'd melt in the warmth of the water. The sound of a body falling into water startled the three of them though out of their tranquility, but no sign of someone in their vicinity could be found.

Serenity wrinkled her nose in annoyance, "How much do you want to bet that was Joey on the other side?"

"10,000 yen," Tea said.

"Really, you're not going to go higher?" Serenity asked.

"Other side?" Kisara asked, suddenly alert.

"Oh yeah, the springs are separated out, so there's some for the guys, probably over that wall over there," Tea told her, "But it's not like anyone can look over them."

"Oh…" Kisara said, trailing off.

So that's where the sound had come from… The whole concept of this place seemed like a fantasy to Kisara. Boys bathing on the other side while no one here seemed to mind. What's more, no one looked twice at one another or averted their eyes as though embarrassed. It was as if the sexual nature often associated with the image of the human body had been stripped away and everyone just saw one another as other people. Just there to relax, take a break from life, nothing more... It was incredibly invigorating in some ways, but it also allowed her whole body to release tension in practically every muscle. As Tea and Serenity talked and caught up with one another, Kisara found her eyes flutter. The air in her chest seemed to rise up, like it would bob in and out of the water while the heat infiltrated her chest, waist, and bottom half. Her feet in particular seemed to be pruning, but she felt so relaxed that she could hardly stay… awake…

"Kisara!" Tea said and Kisara sat up instantly.

"Are you okay?" She asked, "You looked like you were about to fall asleep in the water."

"Oh… I…" Even as she began to speak, her head felt very light and she brought a hand up to hold herself steady.

"Maybe you're not used to the water…" Tea mused, "Sometimes if it's too hot, you can get lightheaded and pass out. Why don't you go out to the footbaths?"

"The footbaths?"

"Yeah, they're right outside. You just put your Yukata back on and you can walk right into the pools. Just follow the signs."

"Oh… okay…" Kisara said, not sure if it was really a good idea to go by herself.

However, she didn't want to bother Tea or Serenity, who seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly in the baths. So, doing as she was directed, Kisara stood up and again grabbed her towel. She wrapped it around herself and made her way inside, finding her locker and pulling her undergarments out and the yukata on once again. She found a few strands of her hair had come out at this point and did her best to put them back, but they seemed determined to slip out. She made her way towards the exit when an older woman stopped her.

"Oh, deary, you've got your Yukata on incorrectly," She said, "Left over right, remember?"

Kisara glanced down and noticed that indeed, she had messed it up. Embarrassed, she thanked the woman and went back to the lockers where she re-wrapped her yukata around her. She had just learned that, why had she forgotten? To be fair, though Japan seemed to have many delights, it came with its fair share of unusual customs and ways of life that Kisara found difficult to keep track of. From using chopsticks to sitting Seiza, which she was positive was created by someone wanting to inflict revenge on someone else's ankles, there were many things she wasn't used to yet.

Once she had corrected the yukata and tied off the obi again, now not as pretty as Tea had done it, she followed the signs to the footbath, which appeared to be deserted upon her arrival. She glanced around, but no one was there. Perhaps they were all at the regular onsen that apparently she wasn't able to manage…

She sighed and found a little area where she could step into the stream. In the dark, the only lights came from within the stream itself. It must be more of the electric magic that seemed to sparkle throughout this world. It was beautiful and allowed her tense mind a bit of relief, letting a sweet smile grace her lips. She slipped off her shoes and dipped her toes into the warm water before fully immersing her foot.

However, as she pulled the ends of her yukata up while she stepped into the water, she found the ground littered with rocks that seemed to be placed there intentionally. Wow, that hurt! She winced in pain, thinking that maybe she just had to get used to it as she tried this time with her other foot. Nope. Nothing. Tea said this was supposed to be relaxing… Gritting her teeth, she proceeded further into the stream, little gasps of pain escaping her lips with every step.

Across the way on the other end of the ryokan, completely out of sight and out of Kisara's mind, another guest slammed his locker door open and pulled his yukata back around him. Idiots. That's what they all were. Going on about some dead pharaoh like he was their friend and about magic and fate and destiny. Destiny was something only fools believed in and it aggravated him to no tomorrow that the one guy who could defeat him held such a belief. Seto let out a long, irritated breath and stormed out from under the noren, which held back the heat of the onsen from the general area. He didn't feel like going to his room, not that he had anything to do there anyway, but he didn't want to go back to the onsen either. A disgruntled sound escaped him. He let his head drop and his gaze cast itself up to the window where Fuji-san stood unmovable, as though taunting him.

Why Mokuba had made him come to this was beyond him. Slowly, he strolled through the open areas of the ryokan, letting the calmness of the surroundings work to unwind every muscle in his body once again and guide him to a quieter area of the luxurious hotel, the footbaths. Glancing around, he at first thought he was alone, when he heard the sound of a splash coming from his left. He glanced over to see a sight that he wasn't expecting in the slightest. Wading in the public footbaths was one of his guests, her long braided hair starting to come a bit undone here and there now as she cautiously stepped through the baths, little 'ow' sounds coming from her as she forced herself to walk through the manmade stream. It was so bizarre seeing her alone doing… whatever it was that she was doing, that he felt that he had to say something.

"What are you doing?"

Kisara spun around, almost slipping, before finding her balance, though dropping part of her yukata into the water in the process, clearly startled, "Huh?"

There near the porch entrance was their benefactor's brother, Seto Kaiba. She found herself frozen in the pond.

He quickly glanced around before resolving himself to repeating himself, "What are you doing in there?"

"Oh, uh… I got light headed, so Serenity and Tea said to take a walk in the footbaths," She answered, trying to hide her surprise, "I've uh, never been to an onsen before and I guess the water was just a little hot…"

Seto slowly nodded. Lightheaded... Apparently they were both having problems with their heads, though his was more of a headache from dealing with listening to Yugi and his friends' inane conversations. He looked up again, to see her back to gasping in bits of pain. For some reason, it caused him discomfort. Why was she… He stepped down from the porch and peered into the lit-up pool to see that she was standing on the rocky path, with smooth, but extruding stones littering the way. His forehead wrinkled.

"You know, you don't have to step in that part to relax," He said, offering a word of advice, "There's a smoother section up there probably."

"Huh? Really?" She asked, surprised.

He nodded, trying to keep his attention away from her as she moved to climb out of the water to go around to the other side. She passed over a little bridge and stepped into the water before finding it much more calming and easier to walk through.

She laughed as though relieved, "Oh, I see what you mean, this it much nicer."

Seto shrugged, but said nothing. He felt oddly uncomfortable, like he was unsure of what to do with himself. There was still so little he knew about her, which made him very cautious. Maybe he should just leave…

Kisara looked up from the stream to see Seto turning to leave. Her eyes widened and before she realized what she was doing, she spoke, "Um, Seto? Er, Mr. Kaiba?"

Despite himself, Seto found himself looking over his shoulder at Kisara, just as she realized that she had nothing to really say to him. Why had she called out? Because she didn't want him to leave? They barely knew each other, no farther past their names. Was she hoping for his company? So stupid, so stupid…Her eyes widened when she suddenly realized one of the many blank areas of her knowledge about him that she could ask him about in this moment that made sense.

"Um, well, if you're not here for the footbath… then why did you come here?"

The question made Seto pause in his tracks. There really wasn't a reason… "Couldn't take the riffraff that was passing as conversation I guess…"

Kisara nodded, a bit of confusion arising within her, "Oh… if it's not too… intrusive of me to ask then, if you, you don't like the others very much do you, right? So then, why did you come in the first place?"

Seto found his eyes being draw back towards her, questioningly. No one had bothered to ask him that yet. And what's more, there wasn't a hint of deception in her voice it seemed. Like she genuinely wanted to know. It was incredibly unnerving to him. Having been raised by the infamous Gozoboro Kaiba, he'd been taught that everyone had a selfish purpose behind what they did. But... he couldn't sense any of that in her…

In the calmest demeanor he could, he answered plainly, "My brother threatened me into going. He thinks I need more social interaction."

At that, Kisara couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her, though she covered it quickly, "Really, he threatened you? How?"

"He… threatened to sell something of mine…" Seto said; mulling it over in his head, it sounded a little ridiculous now that he said it like that.

"He could do that?" She asked, the idea of this intimidating guy being threatened by a teenager sounding incredibly amusing, "Couldn't you just hide it?"

"Only for so long," Seto said, shrugging again and sitting down on a nearby bench, "It's hard to hide important things from family."

Kisara smiled and nodded, "It must be nice, to have one another though."

He looked up at her, slightly astounded by the comment. She had spoken of the fact that they were a family so warmly, "Yeah, I suppose it is… Do you have any siblings?"

Kisara's eyes shot up as a panic filled her mind and she prayed it hadn't shown much. What did she say? Yugi had asked her not to tell Seto about what had happened to bring her to this time. She quickly perused her mind for a suitable answer. Seto's eyes narrowed as he waited for an answer. Was it okay to say that she didn't know? Maybe… if she didn't mention anything about the tablet and Kmt….

"I… I don't know…"

"What do you mean, _'you don't know'_?" Seto asked, his eyes narrowing at the statement.

"I… I can't remember everything from my past… I can remember some things… but, there was… something… something happened and I can't… I can't remember everything… so maybe I do, maybe I don't. But right now, I am unaware of any…" She trailed off, being as honest as she could.

"So you have amnesia?" Seto stated skeptically, "You've got to be kidding me. Who's the current prime minister of Japan?"

"The what?" She asked.

He narrowed his eyes again. Okay, another one, "Who are the five members of the boy band Arashi?"

"Arashi?"

Again, nothing and Seto's eyes widened in surprise. She really didn't know? Even he knew; it was impossible to escape seeing the 'almighty' MatsuJun's face on every Meiji chocolate bar, let alone in nearly every NHK drama out there.

"You… really don't know?" He asked and she shook her head again in a resounding 'no'.

He leaned back on the bench, his mind moving at an alarming rate. Despite numerous movies, books, and series out these days which had the plot point of amnesia, he'd never actually met someone who suffered from it. It was perplexing and she expected him to believe her?

"So then… how did you meet Yugi and them?" He asked, trying to gather more information.

"I… they're helping me," Kisara answered, "We met at the game shop and Yugi said he'd help me find my family. And then I took up a job at the game shop to support myself for the time being…"

"You didn't go to the police at all?" Seto asked.

"I… we… kind of… but there wasn't much that they could do…." She said, suddenly looking down at the water. It was now that she was lying and she felt a deep shame for doing so. But she had promised…

"So you're just blindly waiting to find your old life?" He asked, critically.

She glanced up at him, his statement so widely harsh that now it was her turn to be taken aback, "Well, no. Life doesn't just stop while you solve a problem. You have to keep living, even if you don't have all the pieces you know?"

Seto blinked, astonished by the comment. Maybe it was because of the present company he normally found himself around, but to hear someone acknowledge that you can't just stop living because of a problem was incredibly refreshing. It was a lesson he'd learned a long time ago when it had just been him and Mokuba. Back then, problems abounded all around them, but life didn't stop. He couldn't mope around, otherwise Mokuba would have been bullied and faced even more issues without him. He had to stand up and keeping moving, even when it was hard.

Kisara spoke up again, breaking his train of thought, "Besides, this just gives me the chance to see and do everything all over again for the first time. Like tonight!"

She beamed, clearly enjoying the footbath she was in and the beautiful scenery around them. She spun around, letting the water lap against his legs. Stunned by what he had just heard, it took Seto a moment to take it all in. He'd never considered anything like that, but there was something clearly… endearing about the idea, to be able to start over again. But it was so incredibly confusing as to how someone in her situation could be so positive… As he watched Kisara wade in the footbaths, the same question kept coming back to his mind. _Who was this girl?_ She was just so… vividly hopeful… How could anyone…And hope… Hope was something he'd never had much of. He sighed, falling back into his defensive barrier.

"So then, what brought you into the game shop in the first place?" He asked, trying to act uninterested when in reality, he felt his curiosity, for better or worse, killing him.

Kisara stopped what she was doing and turned back to him, "Hm? Oh uh… I just… was looking for help that's all."

"So you choose a game shop?" Seto questioned, incredulously, "Do you just enjoy playing games or something?"

"Well… no…" Kisara began, "I guess it was a little silly… I actually don't play many games. I have no idea how to play Duel Monsters, if you can believe that."

Seto felt like he'd been hit with a rock over the back of his head, "What?"

"What?"

"You don't know how to play Duel Monsters?" He asked, "It's like, the most popular game of the century."

She shrugged and shook her head, when she lost hold of the side of her yukata, which fell into the pool, "Oh shoot."

She stood up out of the low-lying pool and wrung out the cotton robe, "Nope, never played. But Joey said he'd teach me how since it would help when selling cards and stuff. And since Yugi can't since he's so busy…"

Seto found himself snorting in derision, "You hope to learn how to play from Joey Wheeler?"

"Well… yeah, why not?" She asked, clearly confused by his tone.

"Joey Wheeler is the worst excuse for a duelist this side of the globe," Seto said, standing up.

The out of the blue insult to her boss clearly caught Kisara off guard as she stood up in full as well, "I thought Joey was pretty good. He's placed in tournaments, hasn't he?"

"Psh, by sheer dumb luck. You won't learn anything for a third-rate duelist like him," Seto said stepping towards her, the idea of anyone, particularly her, learning from Joey Wheeler repellent.

Kisara brought her shoulders back in a bit of a defiant attitude, and, pursing her lips, stepped forward, "Well, how else do you suggest that I learn, then?"

"You should learn from a competent duelist," Seto said, his normal arrogance coming out.

"Such as?" She asked.

"Well, you might learn a thing or two from me," Seto said with a shrug and folding his arms, though as it slipped out from his mouth, he felt like he'd just said 'call' in a poker game while holding a bad hand. What was he doing?

Kisara's eyes widened. Was he… offering to teach her? "You… you're that good?"

She knew he was good; she wasn't sure why she had asked. She was just so astonished he would even suggest it… Their eyes locked, his narrowing with a confidence so assured that Kisara found herself taken aback, but also impressed at the same time. She felt her heart pound.

"I'm the best," He declared to her.

"I thought Yugi was the best," Kisara remarked after a moment, a little smug that she did know that much.

"He's gotten lucky," Seto said.

"Aren't you too busy?" She asked.

Seto paused, "I set my own schedule."

Kisara looked down at the ground, when the thought came to her head, "But… why would you care how I learn how to play Duel Monsters?"

Seto found himself suddenly put on the spot. Why did he care… "Duel Monsters is a game that demands respect. You can't enjoy it without thoroughly understanding it. And I'd hate for anyone to lose that chance just because they learned from someone like Wheeler."

Slowly, an amused smile, came to Kisara's face, "Well, okay then, if you're really okay with teaching me…"

Seto found a grin come to his face. Whoever this girl was, she didn't know what she was getting herself into.

"Only if you're up for the challenge," Seto taunted.

He had meant for it to be an intimidating statement. But somehow it didn't quite come out that way… Maybe more… encouraging… but that seemed like the opposite of his words… He furrowed his brow a bit in question, when out of nowhere, Kisara began to smile before breaking into a laugh, holding her gut as she did so.

"What?" Seto asked, a bit jolted by her reaction.

"I… I don't know, I guess because I'm friends with Yugi, I didn't think you'd actually want to even talk to me. And now you're offering to teach me Duel Monsters…" She brushed a strand of hair back from her face which was being graced by a warm blush.

"Well… you're not really annoying like the rest of them," He said, awkwardly looking away from her, "And it sounds like this would help you…. With your job anyway."

 _What was he doing?!_

Kisara glanced down, before looking up again at him, smiling wide and suddenly, Seto felt a red heat coming to his cheeks, so he turned away, when she changed the topic of conversation, "Well, I'm done… Are you going into the footbaths then?"

Seto kept his line of sight cast way, "Not tonight."

Kisara watched Seto's gaze, which seemed to stare right over the lake, "Are you going upstairs then?"

Seto let out a sigh before muttering a response, "Yeah… I guess."

"May I join you?" She said, "I mean, on the walk up?"

The words sounded almost like a song as she said it and Seto found himself feeling jumbled up inside. He closed his eyes and nodded 'yes', not trusting himself to speak. As the two walked up to the porch and replaced their slippers onto their feet, the night air brushed by them, for once bringing the cool air of the mountains down with it. Seto's thoughts trailed back to his actions of the night, trying to understand them.

Why had he just agreed to helping her? It offered him nothing… But whenever he looked at her… he found himself at an odd sort of peace, like he could relax around her, which logically confounded his mind. She was an unknown. She didn't even know who she was, if indeed her words were the truth. He gazed up at Fuji-san, which they could barely see in the dark. He was so confused. _Hope you're happy with yourself Mokuba,_ he thought. As the words crossed his mind though, he found himself slightly worried. From this distance, they wouldn't be able to see any lights from the mountain, he knew that, but still…

"Are you worried?" She asked suddenly, "About your brother?"

Seto stopped and turned towards her, amazed that she had picked up on that, "I… suppose… I'm sure he's fine, I just wish they hadn't done the night hike. It's impossible to see anything…"

"I don't know about that," She said, thoughtfully, "I mean, you can see the outline of Fuji-san, right? And sometimes, that's all you need to be able to enjoy something and have the faith to move on, right?"

For about the third time that night, Seto found himself oddly astounded at her words. Faith… maybe that was what was so striking about her… She seemed to have an uncanny ability to see the good in a situation that he found utterly hopeless. Like seeing a little more with each step on a dark hike up a mountain… It then occurred to him that this, if she really did have a form of amnesia… then this was the first time that she was seeing Fuji-san. It was unfortunate because the view earlier had been so brief before the sun had fallen on them… But she was still enjoying it, even when she could only see the silhouette of the volcano against the starry backdrop.

"Kisara…"

"Ye—"

 ** _BANG!_**

"Ah—"

"Look out!"

What happened next occurred so quickly that Seto half had to backtrack in his mind the events to figure out exactly how they managed to get into the situation they were in now, where the sound of fireworks roared across the lake, lighting up the night sky, and he somehow was holding Kisara very close to him.

With the bang of the first firework startling her, Kisara had slipped off of the side of the porch and instinctively, he'd grabbed her arm back to keep her from falling backwards into the garden beside them, pulling her forward and into him in the process. Now they were mere centimeters apart and their faces were practically touching. They both swallowed hard as fireworks in blues, purples, golds, silvers, reds, and pinks shot into the air.

Across the way by the 8th station of Mt. Fuji, Mokuba Kaiba smiled as the final element of his plan unfolded below and under his breath urged, "Go get her, Nii-sama!"

The two both found themselves going red and unable to move, not knowing what to do. It wasn't until other guests came outside to look at the fireworks that Seto found the logical answer in his head that was to let her go. They parted and he found himself bringing a hand to the back of his neck and muttering to her between the blasts.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine… thank you…" She muttered back under her breath.

"You're welcome," He commented.

They both seemed bent on looking away from each other as the fireworks continued to go off. Finally, as the finale ended, Seto managed to speak.

"So… how about I come by to teach you next week after your morning shift finishes," He said, following the logical plan of setting up this thing he'd agreed to do.

"A… alright," She answered.

"Twelve then?" He replied, fiercely determined to not look at her.

"Okay."

They walked upstairs together quietly towards their respective rooms. They got back to her room first and she awkwardly hit the combination to get in.

"Well, good night, Kaiba," She said, "Thanks for a good evening."

"You're welcome," He said, before after a moment of thought, he added, "Kisara…"

"Hm?"

"It's… you can call me Seto," He said, practically fumbling his words to his own annoyance, "You don't need to be that formal."

And yet despite his awkwardness, the statement made her smile nonetheless, "Okay… good night, Seto."

"Good night, Kisara."

With one last smile at him, she opened the door and went inside. As she shut the door, she leaned against it and let out a long breath as a bit of excitement overwhelmed her. She didn't know why, but she was looking forward to learning how to play Duel Monsters more so than she had been before. Seto wasn't super outgoing and at times, he was difficult to read. But at the same time, he had made it so her night wasn't so lonely, or disheartening… again, the word trust came to her. She wanted to trust him.

In the hallway, once he had heard the door click shut, Seto made his way back to the room. Inside, he found the place deserted, for once a nice thing to come upon. As he laid down onto one of the beds, he folded his arms behind him and stared up at the ceiling, contemplating what had just occurred, that he had just met someone who was insanely mystifying, but also… seemingly innocent and happy.

Seto shut his eyes.

He felt his chest constrict and relax, as though unsure as to how to take in the events of the night. His instinct told him he was being reckless. How could he offer to teach her Duel Monsters? No one was forcing him. No one was holding him at gunpoint. And yet he'd offered when it offered him nothing, absolutely nothing in return. And this amnesia thing… it was rather difficult to believe and the skeptic in him told him she had to be lying. He could practically hear Gozoboro berating him for even considering anything otherwise. But at the same time, he felt oddly… alright around her. She seemed genuine… And the idea of Joey Wheeler teaching her how to play really was absolutely repugnant. That much, he could admit to.

His eyes snapped open, when another thought burst into the front of his mind. The thought of what it felt like to hold her close like that. It was something he hadn't done deliberately… well, yes, he had intended to keep her from falling, but he hadn't intended to end up so close to her… It had sent his heart racing in an absent-minded whirlwind, beating hard in his chest. With so much adrenaline in his system, he hadn't been sure what to do, as though all of his rationale had been thrown out the window. It made him feel a slight… nervousness, perhaps that was the word for it.

He shook his head and turned onto his side, gazing out the window at the outline of Fuji-san.

Was he… interested in her?

His eyes scrunched up and he shut them tightly. He wasn't sure why, but the idea sent a shock of anxiety into his system. No. He wasn't interested in her. And no, he wasn't afraid of her. Why would he be? If she was a lying thief, he could destroy the threat she would present with ease. And yet… She seemed to have such a sincere… and uplifting natural presence. If Kisara was who she said she was, then he had no real reason to be worried…

It wouldn't hurt to teach her how to play Duel Monsters. Right? He rolled onto his back. It wouldn't hurt. So what if he didn't get anything out of it, that was fine, right? And yet... for some reason, he felt like that thought wasn't quite accurate… The thought of her smile came to mind again. And something else, something warm, spread in him. It was almost… exhilarating. Seto pulled the sheets over himself and rolled back to his side, determined to sleep and block out the one name that kept coming to mind.

Kisara.

Her name was Kisara.

 **-YGO-**

The night sky was clouded over, as was common in the summer months of Domino City. As he glanced over the reports followed by Ishizu, Pegasus let out a small sigh as he dialed a number.

" _Hello?"_

"Long time no see, dear boy," Pegasus said.

" _Pegasus."_

"The original," He said smiling, "Listen, I could use your help. I'd like to get a second pair of eyes on a few artifacts that my team has managed to dig up. Would you mind returning to Domino City?"

Silence fell on the other end of the line. He waited.

" _What kind of artifacts?"_

"A few from the time of that… nameless Pharaoh…" Pegasus said, trailing off, "I thought it might interest you."

More silence before the voice replied, _"You're still digging those up?"_

"They're the basis of my game," Pegasus said, as he looked over Yugi's report and request off for the weekend with a bit of disdain, "You didn't really expect me to stop, did you?"

" _They're dangerous."_

"Says you," Pegasus stated, "But then, if they're so dangerous, do you really want to leave them alone in the hands of incompetents?"

The clock's hand ticked by as his associated mulled over the request, _"Fine. I'll be over in a week."_

"I'll send you a jet," Pegasus said, "See you then."

The phone clicked, insuring Maximillion Pegasus all of the answers he was looking for. He was sure of it.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** Ima sugu killing me~~~~ Ha, I'm a bit on an X4 high these days and I'm finally on the mend from Jet Lag. I can't remember if I mentioned it in my last author's note, but I went to Japan this past month (Weeeee!). Thus no time to write, but plenty of time to think, draft, sightsee, eat good food and go to a concert maybe… definitely. ^_^ I was very lucky and got to go to the last X4 concert at Zepp Tokyo. Tons of fun and the members were just great. Very infectious with their love of music and the fans are just wonderful to be around too. Though this has nothing to do with the end of the chapter haha, other than that one of the lines I wrote for Seto reminded me of one of their first songs… anyway, let me know what you thought! I'll try to get the next chapter up in a more timely manner. Until then… Koe ni Shitanara, tada susumu dake sa~~~

Later,

~Rena


	11. Chapter Eleven: 問題ない (Mondai Nai)

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… still no ownership.

 **Author's Note:** Well, this is a treat isn't it? Seriously, when I first drafted out this chapter a while back, I couldn't actually type much because my wrist was in a brace. Now, I'm actually going to be in the midst of moving soon, so I get even more bonus points for this update right? Haha, I kid. Anyway, onto the terms and the next chapter!

 _ **Terms -**_

 _Shibuya_ \- a famous neighborhood in Tokyo known for being fashion forward.

 _Okinawa Blue_ \- an Ice Cream Chain in Japan

 _Doutor_ \- A chain restaurant similar to Starbucks in terms of general store space, but with options like sandwiches, smoothies, coffee, and small pastries.

 _Hokkaido Melon Frozen and Milano Sandwich B_ \- Doutor Menu items

 _Konbini_ \- A convenience store, like 7-Eleven.

 _Romaji_ \- A system of Japanese writing using the latin alphabet.

 _Egg on Pasta_ \- Soft boiled eggs on pasta are common in Japan - The rest of it cooks in the heat of the pasta.

 _Melon Soda_ \- Literally some of the best soda ever. It's just what it sounds like, a very sweet tasting soda with a ripe melon flavor, unique to Japan and the Southeast Asia area.

Today's chapter title literally means 'No problem' or 'It's not a problem'.

 **-YGO-**

(English Translation / Original Japanese)

 _"Do not hide the pain anymore / Mou itami wo kakusanaide,_

 _Do not let go of this hand / Kono te wo hanasaide_

 _Try to rely on me a little bit / Sukoshi yori kakatte mite_

 _No one can find it / Dare mo mitsukerarenai_

 _Your misery and your circumstances / Kimi no setsunasa mo sono wake mo_

 _Because I understand / Wakatteru kara"_

\- "2 of Us" by Yuya Matsushita松下優也

 **Chapter Eleven:** **問題ない** **(Mondai Nai)**

"YOU DIDN'T ASK HER OUT?! HOW?! WHY?! I SET UP EVERYTHING PERFECTLY! NII-SAMAAAAAAA!"

The whine filled the empty halls of the manor to the point that Seto had to pop his ears to gain a bit of his hearing back. He was a little shocked that Mokuba could still reach those high pitches…

"You wasted a perfectly good opportunity to—"

"To what?" Seto asked, "Waste my time? No thanks, did plenty of that on the trip."

"But Nii-samaaaaaa," Mokuba complained.

"No buts, now hand them over," Seto said.

"No."

"Mokuba."

"No!"

"Mokuba, if you don't hand my cards over this instant…"

"You idiot, I even set up fireworks!" Mokuba defended, "Uh oh."

Seto's patience had clearly run out as he dived at his brother, trying to tackle his way to his cards as Mokuba pushed his older brother away. Had the Mokuba been ten, this would have been impossible, but now that he was finally growing into the 'Kaiba' build, he had a shot at keeping the cards from Seto. The downside for Mokuba though was that now Seto could fully launch himself at his younger brother without worrying about crushing him accidentally.

"Mokuba!" Seto yelled, "I mean it, I don't have time for this and you have to go… ugh, to school!"

"Then pay me back for the fireworks!" Mokuba yelled back.

"I freakin' pay you, you ingrate!" Seto snapped, "And I need those today!"

"But I spent that money on you— Hey!"

Without warning, Mokuba felt the three Blue Eyes cards slip out of his hands and somehow end up back with their owner, who placed them inside his jacket pocket and buttoned up his suit.

"That was your own choice and I held up my end up the deal. I went. I never said I'd be asking anyone out!" Seto shot.

"But that was the whole pointttttt," Mokuba moaned.

"In that case, maybe you should have focused more of your time on Yuzuki."

"It's Yuzuha!"

"Whatever," Seto said, starting down the staircase and towards the door.

Mokuba leaned his head back and let a growl of discontent escape him. Taking the steps two at a time, he followed Seto into, today, the McLaren, and they sped off towards Domino High. The ride was silent as the younger fumed wordlessly, hoping to guilt his brother into apologizing, or at least reimbursing him. Neither hopes came to fruition. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"But Nii-sama…"

"Don't you 'Nii-sama' me!" Seto said.

"You're such a party pooper," Mokuba whined, as they arrived, "I wouldn't be surprised if you counted that as the one social interaction for your monthly quota."

"I get plenty of social interaction," Seto told Mokuba as he climbed out of the car, "And by the way, I can't pick you up for lunch today; I have a prior engagement."

"Wait, what?!" Mokuba said, eyes wide with surprise.

"See you tonight."

"Wait, Nii-sama!" But it was too late.

Mokuba found himself left behind at the entrance to the school as Seto slammed the accelerator down, jetting him out of sight. He angrily stomped the ground in frustration and let out a scream of irritation. From the sounds of it, that had definitely been a waste of 2,000,000 yen.

 **-YGO-**

Tea stretched her muscles one last time before she slipped her purse over her shoulder and exited for lunch from the dance studio, an off-branch of a famous dance school located in the heart of Shibuya. She enjoyed it primarily because they offered a wide range of styles and each of her instructors had some kind of experience performing live. In her heart of hearts, it gave her a bit of hope that one day, she'd be good enough to do the same.

As she stepped into the muggy air, she turned her phone on to see a text. Swiping it open, she saw in her phone the nickname given to her best friend listed in the sender's spot. She smiled.

" _How was dance class?"_

She let her nimble fingers reply back for her.

" _Exhausting. Practically lost my feet today in the war."_

She waited, then saw the little thought bubble typing out a response.

" _Need someone to carry you home?"_

She smirked, unable to tell how serious he was, but being amused all the same, _"No, but smoothies might help. Want to get lunch?"_

Again, she waited. It occurred to her in the silence that Yugi might not be able to do that and she just about to regret suggesting that when she received a reply.

" _If you give me about thirty minutes, I can meet you at Chuo-koen."_

" _Okay!"_

It wasn't even a question. Despite her feet royally screaming at her, she practically ran to the train station with a line directly towards Chuo-koen. It only took two stops to get there and she was off, heading for their favorite spot, the grassy area by the chess board tables. She was nearly twenty minutes early, but her happiness overshadowed her lack of knowing what she would do. So instead of pacing, she sat down and laid back onto the grass, watching the clouds roll by overhead. Today was a lazy day.

Closing her eyes, she thought back to their trip from the past weekend. While their primary interaction had been on the bus, she had caught a glance of Yugi and the other boys coming back out of the onsen. She remembered smiling, seeing Yugi in that red yukata - it suited him and his now, broader shoulders. So when those broad shoulders stood over her and blocked her sunlight, she couldn't help but laugh.

"That was fast!" She said, sitting up.

Yugi smiled and helped her up, "It helps that there aren't so many pedestrians out right now."

Tea looked over and sure enough, Yugi had ridden his bike. So yes, less pedestrians were a good thing.

"Where were you thinking?" He asked.

"Okinawa Blue?" She said.

"That's ice cream, not smoothies," He said.

"They have smoothies too!" She argued.

"But it's all dessert," He replied, laughing.

"But that's what a smoothie is," She said, tilting her head and staring at him like he was stating the obvious.

"Yeah, but... I still need to get lunch," He said.

"They're keeping you late today?" She asked.

"Yeah... Ishizu wants me at the lab for the remainder of the afternoon," Yugi told her, "While the tablet is being moved, we're trying to see if there might be some ancient inscriptions on the Egyptian God cards. Ishizu thinks it might be the key to how they were actually summoned in the past."

"Seriously?" Tea asked, intrigued, as they walked towards the edge of the park.

"Yeah... I'm pretty sure that Ishizu means no harm in that, but I... I don't know, it doesn't sit right with me. I'm pretty sure Pegasus would try to figure out some way to capitalize on it, but that's different than holograms you know? It could be dangerous..."

Tea nodded, "Yugi, have you ever thought of just... striking out on your own? You know more about this than anyone; couldn't you just work for yourself?"

Yugi's face rose to meet her eyes in surprise, "I... I have, but I enjoy working with Ishizu. She's incredibly smart and gifted in this field; granted that's probably because of her upbringing but still, she's able to pick up on things that escape even me."

"But... why is she working for Pegasus then? If you're both so good..."

"She wants to keep an eye on him. She still considers herself loyal to Atem, and she doesn't want the power he sealed away to be mishandled," Yugi answered, "Not that... it really matters. Pegasus will do what he wants. Which is really annoying since she could be doing a lot more with her kind of knowledge. Compared to her, I'm still green..."

Tea felt her stomach twist into knots as two conflicting feelings argued amongst themselves in her gut for a dominant presence One was envy. Envy that Yugi praised Ishizu so much and admired her like he did. Worse was how her imagination could only think up awful scenarios in which Ishizu and him could hit it off. Though nonsensical, it didn't stop the images from bothering her. The other was concern. It was clear that Yugi had thought these things out and it was weighing heavily on him. She wished she could alleviate that somehow...

"How about Doutor?" Yugi asked suddenly, and Tea's head rose to see the Doutor across the street from them. She nodded as they walked across to the other side.

As they filed up the steps to the second floor and into the queue, they read the menu above for options while Yugi continued on, "So, how's Kisara holding up?"

"She's fine," Tea said, still reading, "I think in some ways, her memory being hazy is a bit of a blessing. It's allowing her to adjust quicker..."

Yugi let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. Joey told me that she's been working really hard at the shop."

"She has," Tea said, "And I think she really enjoyed the onsen trip, once she got used to it anyway."

Yugi nodded, "I'd hope so. It was anything but relaxing in the end for me."

"Huh?" Tea asked.

"Well, the guys are great and all, but they had so much energy. I just didn't think I could keep up..." Yugi related, "Add that in with the fact that Kaiba and Kisara were sharing the same general breathing space on the bus and my nerves were shot for the majority of the weekend."

"Why would you care about Kaiba and Kisara sharing breathing space?" Tea asked, as her turn came, "One Hokkaido Melon Frozen please."

"I have a feeling Kaiba has something to do with Kisara's appearance and I want his cooperation," Yugi told her as she took out her coin purse and paid, "A Milano Sandwich B, please."

"What does that have to do with them being in the same room though?" Tea asked, letting Yugi pay this time.

"It's just... you know how Kaiba gets when we bring up any of this stuff, Atem and all that," Yugi said, "I'm pretty sure that he stormed out of the onsen because that's what the guys were going on about. I mean, can you imagine that conversation, 'Kaiba, this girl is somehow related to your blue eyes cards, at least I'm pretty sure, do you think you could help us return her to her time period of about 5000 years ago in Ancient Egypt?' It'd be a nightmare."

"Yeah, but... Yugi, you can't just keep hiding it, or asking Kisara to hide it for that matter," Tea said.

"I'm not trying to," Yugi told her.

"It kinda sounds like you are..." She saw her drink arrive and picked it up, taking a sip, "I mean, I get what you're saying, but... I think you should bring it up to Kaiba sooner rather than later. He'll be even madder with you if you wait on it."

Yugi nodded, knowingly, "I know. I just need to find the right time..."

He picked up his sandwich as it arrived and the two sat down at one of the tables that was thankfully not in use. While Yugi went to get a glass of water, Tea slipped her coin purse back into her bag and quickly sipped up the smoothie, giving herself a brain freeze. She pursed her lips and shut her eyes just as Yugi came back, laughing.

"Brain freeze?"

"Oh... yeah..." She said, still keeping her lips tight together like a fish.

"You know, just 'cause I have to eat fast, doesn't mean you do," He said.

"Yeah, but, I want to walk you back to work," She said, blinking a few times in recovery, "And I can't really do that with a drink in my hands now, can I?"

"Tea, I biked," Yugi told her with a smile.

"I can ride on the back," She responded, now able to resume her normal expressions.

"So you want me to bike all the way back to work with your additional weight?" Yugi asked.

"I don't weigh that much," Tea told him, "Besides, you're a big strong guy now, surely I'm more like a feather or a balloon now."

She reached out to poke his bicep playfully, when she found it much tighter than she had anticipated. Suddenly, a blush came to her face and she quickly pulled back and went back to her drink. Yugi let a funny smile come to his face.

"Not... really..." He said slowly, "Joey still gives me a run for my money."

Tea nodded, still trying to hide her embarrassment, and stammered out, "Well, you've changed a lot.. so...that's all I was trying to say, but not in a bad way! You're still you, you're just..."

She looked up and met his eyes. They were so kind, "Yeah?"

"Um... you just," She began, "You've just grown up... that's all."

Yugi felt a flush come to his face and took a bite of his sandwich, awkwardly answering through a full mouth, "Um, thanks."

"No problem," She muttered back.

A buzz sounded from Yugi's pocket and he groaned pulling out his phone and reading the message, "They need me back sooner. I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, it's okay, this was fun!" Tea told him.

"Raincheck on that bike ride?" He asked.

"I'm holding you to it," She laughed.

Watching as Yugi stuffed the phone back into his pocket and re-wrapped the sandwich which he threw into his bag, Tea found herself, though disappointed, oddly at ease. He smiled at her one last time.

"Bye," He said.

"Bye."

He walked past her and proceeded down the steps. Tea turned, watching him go until that spiky head of hair of his was out of sight. She sighed. It had been short, but nice. She sipped her drink one more time, mulling over the promise he had just made. One raincheck for a bike ride. She smiled, looking forward to it.

 **-YGO-**

Seto leaned against the metal bench, sunglasses shading him from the bright sunlight that seemed bent on moving its way around the leaves and into his face. He scowled and tapped his foot slightly on the stone pavement. He felt restless and kept checking his gold encrusted Jaeger LeCoultre watch. He was early. Only by about ten minutes though. Thinking back, he didn't recall leaving early. He had left on time, opting to take a limo rather than drive and have to navigate the area for parking he deemed safe. Stopping at the corner, the limo let him off near the game shop and drove off, leaving him to wait out the time difference.

What was he doing here?

It was a question that kept itching at the back of his mind. He felt ridiculous and foolish for even showing up. He really didn't need to. He owed Kisara nothing. But the fact that he had promised her kept him there. He was a man of his word. At the sound of a door opening to his left, he glanced up to see the door to the game shop opening and Kisara stepping out of the shop.

"I'll be back in an hour!" She called.

Shutting the door off from the heat, Kisara glanced around the area, scanning for her companion of the hour. Upon seeing him, she smiled and waved, running over to see Seto in the shade.

"Hi," She said, as soon as she got close, "Sorry, you weren't waiting long were you? You could have come inside."

Seto stood up fully, "It's fine. I wasn't out long. Do you need to get lunch?"

"Oh, um, yeah, I normally go to the konbini for food, but uh, since we're not going back to the shop right away... do you want to choose?" She asked.

Seto squinted through the light, looking around for a suitable place. He didn't really eat in this area... Spotting an Italian restaurant that wasn't some run of the mill location, he decided that would be best.

"Let's do Italiano," He said.

"Itali..ano?" Kisara repeated.

He gestured to a restaurant across the street, "What, you don't like Italian?"

"Oh, I... I wouldn't know. I haven't eaten there before," Kisara answered.

"Are you a picky eater?" He asked.

"Oh no! I'm okay with anything, really," She replied, "Let's go!"

With almost a spring in her step, Kisara led the way to the crosswalk while Seto followed her closely behind. In her chest, Kisara's heart thumped loudly and she thanked her lucky stars that it was only audible to her. She had been looking forward to this all day.

At the red light, she paused shifting her weight back and forth from the tips of her toes to her ankles, letting the bumpy impressions of the sidewalk intended to warn the blind of the street in front of them to be felt through her flats. At the sound of the crosswalk man shifting to green, she glanced up and quickly crossed only to see Seto walking at a normal pace behind her. Not a smile on his face. She frowned.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

He looked up, "I'm fine, why?"

"I don't know, you just look kinda down," She replied, "I'm not keeping you from anything am I?"

Seto's brow furrowed, "No, I make my own schedule, remember?"

Kisara's eyes narrowed, "Really? You sure?"

Seto rolled his eyes, though she couldn't see him doing so, "Yes, I'm sure."

They arrived at Italiano where a waitress greeted them, "Welcome! Smoking or non?"

"Non-smoking, two people, and a booth if possible," Seto answered.

"Right this way, sir," The bubbly waitress answered, with a voice akin to that of a dog whistle.

Seto popped his ears before nodding and this time leading the way behind the waitress with Kisara behind him, taking in the beautiful and elegant surroundings. It was like a grove of olive trees were growing out of the walls. She smiled spinning around and taking it all in when they got to their table. When she realized that Seto had sat down and glanced up at her, she quickly found the way to her seat at the table.

Awkwardly, she sat down, brushing out her skirt so it lay flat. She grasped her hands together and smiled at her company. Upon noticing her looking at him, Seto quickly picked up a menu and as naturally as he could, opened it to the lunch specials. Kisara did the same, opening the ivory and mahogany folded pamphlet and perusing the options, most of which she had never heard of. What did shock her the most though was the prices. 3,000 yen?! 4,000 yen?! That was what she spent in only a week of lunches, how could Seto... and then she remembered. He was, as Joey put it, loaded.

She swallowed nervously, "Uh... what do you recommend?"

Seto looked up from his menu, "Hm?"

"Uh, do you have a, uh, recommendation?" She repeated, hoping it wasn't going to be too expensive.

Seto shrugged, "I tend to prefer any of the linguine dishes, though most things they have are good. Let's skip any of the pizza options though, those always get the table greasy."

Kisara nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. Whatever pizza was, it had been the cheapest option. She struggled to read the romaji, which was written in a fancy kind of script that she'd never seen before. So when their waitress arrived, once again in her peppy perky fashion, she was nowhere near ready.

"Welcome to Italiano. It's my pleasure to serve you today. Our specials today are the Spaghetti alle Vongole and Sausage Spinach Calzones. What can I start you with?" She asked, as she poured them water.

Before Kisara could even open her mouth, Seto began his order, "I'll take the Fettuccine Alfredo Linguine."

"Any meats or extras with that?" She asked.

"Shrimp and an egg is fine," Seto answered.

"Alright, and for you ma'am?"

Kisara's eyes shot up, realizing it was her turn, "Um, uh... the spaghetti?"

"Alle Vongole?" The waitress questioned.

"Uh... no, just with meat sauce," Kisara said, quickly trying to hide her insecurity over her order.

"Any drinks?"

"Coke if you have it," Seto answered.

"Um... Melon Soda?" Kisara replied, spotting something she liked.

"Alright, I'll be right out with that," The waitress said smiling before taking their menus and walking away.

As the menu slipped out of her hands, Kisara instantly regretted ordering the melon soda. Water would have been fine. She cursed this world's new sparkling drinks that Tea had introduced her to. She glanced up at Seto to see him typing away on his phone before looking up at her and awkwardly putting it away in his back pocket.

Rolling his shoulders, Seto figured now was as good a time as ever to start the lesson, "Alright, so... did you bring any cards?"

Kisara's eyes shot up, immediately realizing her mistake in coming empty handed, "Uh... no... I don't own any cards... sorry."

Seto tightened his lips a bit and let out a silent sigh. Well, it was good that he at least brought his, "It's fine. I have mine."

With a quick swing of his arm, he brought his briefcase to the top of the table and unclicked it from its secure position, allowing for a wide array of colorful cards to be displayed in front of them. Kisara's eyes widened. They were all so pristine and beautiful, many with a holographic image and shine that reminded her of the sun on the Nile at sunrise.

Seto watched as Kisara took in, what he preferred to think of as, the glory of his collection, with a calculated eye, trying to detect any hint of envy or any motivation to take said cards, but saw nothing. Only admiration. He sat back a bit, a slight inkling of guilt trying to worm its way around his spinal cord, but he coughed and choked it away back down his throat, dragging Kisara's attention away from the cards and back to him with concern. He had partly wanted to be able to write her off quickly, categorizing this "amnesiac" woman as another danger to be avoided. But he couldn't. And while part of himself felt a bit of disappointment, against his better judgement it almost felt... good. He shut the briefcase. No. Nothing good was ever easy to come by.

"Seto?" She asked, "Are you okay?"

"I..." Seto found himself falter, slightly unsure as to how to continue, "I'm sorry, I... I have a very hard time believing you, that you can't remember anything."

Seto watched as Kisara's face seemed to fall as her gaze went down to her hands, where she twiddled her thumbs and fingers together, tightly grasping and releasing them as understanding came to her and a slight dread filled her stomach.

"Do you... see me as a threat?" She asked, her words low and perceptively spotting his suspicions.

The guilt from before seemed like a grain of sand compared to the mountain he suddenly felt now as no words seemed to be able to even open his lips enough to contest the question. He was shocked that she caught that so quickly. The young woman in front of him let out a sigh and he saw Kisara's hands reach for her pocket where she dug out a coin purse and unfolded a few bills. Smoothing them out, she placed them on the table before closing the little purse and standing up.

"I'm sorry then, for troubling you," She said, "I don't want to cause you discomfort. But, thank you for your time. It was nice to get out of the shop for a little while longer than usual."

Panic seemed to rise out of nowhere in Seto's chest as she turned to go and he stood up so fast he could have been mistaken for DC Comics' Wally West, "Wait."

Kisara turned back to see him, questioningly, but with no injury intended. The guilt became Everest as Seto found his words again, "Kisara, you... what... what did you want out of this?"

Surprised, Kisara mulled over the question for a second, before answering, "I guess... I just wanted a friend. Tea and them, they're all kind, but, they feel sorry for me and I kinda feel like that's why we became friends. But I thought... well, when you agreed to help me, I got the impression that you just did it because... you genuinely wanted to."

She watched as Seto's eyes went from their normal narrow observing countenance to one of amazement at her words. She swallowed quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment, "I'm sorry. It was foolish of me."

Kisara turned to go, but when she felt a hand latch onto her wrist, she found herself freeze. Slowly, she peered over her shoulder to see the owner of the hand keeping her from going. Seto's face seemed hardened, like it was chiseled out of stone. She found herself nervously waiting for him to speak, but also dreading it at the same time for fear of what he might say. Finally, Seto let out a long sigh and spoke.

"You... you weren't wrong," He muttered.

"Huh?"

"I..." Seto scolded himself for being so unable to bring his thoughts together coherently, "I... I'm a CEO. I'm barraged with underhanded attacks to steal away control of my company everyday. So when you say you have amnesia, you have to see, to me it sounds incredibly suspicious..."

Kisara waited to see where Seto was going with this. Seto sighed and continued, "But... you... you really just wanted to learn how to play Duel Monsters?"

Seto found every possible reason to loath himself in that instance. She didn't say that. She just said she wanted a friend. Not someone to teach her how to play a card game. And he wasn't in the market to make friends with anyone. Friends were a distraction, an irritant, a liability...

Seto felt her arm shake and he looked up to see her suppressing a small laugh, when she smiled and nodded to him, "Yeah, that's all I wanted."

He felt that same warmth again.

Seto blinked a few times before stuttering out a response, "Well.. okay, then. Let's uh, let's get to it then."

Kisara's eyes seemed to sparkle with delight as she nodded to him, relief and happiness pervading her persona, "Okay, but uh... Seto?"

"Yes?"

"Can you, uh, let go of my wrist?" She asked, trying to hide her own amusement at the question.

Seto's eyes widened and he quickly released her, not realizing he'd been grasping her wrist this whole time. Feeling incredibly sheepish, he felt a large amount of relief as their waitress came back with their meal as if on cue. They parted and moved out of the way, both sitting back down as the waitress placed the linguine and spaghetti in front of them. Seto tugged on the sides of his suit jacket and checked his tie to make sure it was straight in attempts to regain some of his dignity. Kisara began to twirl her fork around, gathering up the pasta for her first bite as Seto extracted from his pocket his current deck holder and pulled out three different cards, holding them up for her to see as he cleared his throat.

"To start with then, there are three basic kinds of cards: Monster, Trap, and Spell cards..."

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So yeah, a little shorter than the last chapter, but I thought that was the best place to divide it up. Anyway, let me know your thoughts and I'll see you all next time!

Later,

~Rena


	12. Chapter Twelve: 納豆 (Natto)

**Disclaimer:** Um… currently running on steam so… no, I don't own "Yu-Gi-Oh!"

 **Author's Note:** So we're starting to get into the card game… I have played for those wondering, but it's been a while. So fair warning, I've tried to do my research on this, making sure things are accurate and in accordance to how the game is played, but if I made a mistake, please be understanding. It's complicated, and I'm not an expert when it comes to the history of card release dates. I primarily tried to operate under cards released during the first series, though there might be some GX cards mixed in there which I figured was alright as.. Well, time has passed a bit and cards might have been released between the two series. But if it doesn't line up… forgive me? Let's get to it then!

 _Terms -_

 _AKB48 -_ A popular idol girl band in Japan.

 _Hey Say Jump -_ A popular band in Japan amongst the younger generations.

Today's title is actually the name of a Japanese food. Natto is a smelly food that is very polarizing in Japan. It literally is goopy fermented soybeans with a nasty smell and sticky, stringy texture. Half of the Japanese like it, half of them do not. I've never had it, but I'm not all that keen on trying it, haha. ^^;

 **Chapter Twelve:** **納豆** **(Natto)**

"Ughhhhh this game is impossible."

Seto watched the head of silvery white hair in front of him shake itself on the table in defeat. A half smile came to his face.

"You just need to draw a Polymerization card," He lamented.

Kisara flung her head back up, all of her long hair flowing back with it, blew a stray hair out of her face and pouted, "Yes, but the likelihood of drawing one is like... One out of thirteen right now. That's less than 10%."

"That's why I told you to put 3 in your deck since we're practicing Fusion Summoning," He told her.

"And you know that I did and already drew one, but had to get rid of it when you played Twister," Kisara argued back.

Seto rolled his eyes, "Well, that's why you get cards that make it easier to draw either the monsters that you need to Fusion Summon or you put more in your deck."

"But why would I put more monsters to tribute in my deck if they're low level monsters?" Kisara questioned, "In all likelihood, it's not like I can keep them on the field long enough to tribute them. You'll attack and boom, gone."

"You can, if you draw a spell or trap card that will negate the attack-"

"But again, what is the likelihood of that if I'm so busy filling my deck with monsters for one Fusion summon?" Kisara asked, clearly frustrated, "And really, it's not like a Crimson Sunbird can't be overcome by say, adding two Wicked Breaking Flamberge Baou to an Ancient Dragon."

She dramatically pouted at him, an expression that Seto had become used to seeing this past week. Despite himself, he smiled a bit.

"Not all fusion monsters are weak," He told her, "Some have powerful effects."

"Are the effects always useful?" She asked, as Seto's phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Depending on the situation," Seto replied, pulling out his phone to see a text from Mokuba.

Seto opened it to reveal the photo Mokuba had sent of himself with a bitter face in front of a bowl of nasty looking natto being strung up by his chopsticks, all of its stringy goop on display. The elder rolled his eyes and turned the screen off.

For the past five days or so, Seto had taken to ditching Mokuba during lunch in favor of teaching Kisara how to play Duel Monsters. At first it had been a little complicated to explain and elaborate on; she literally had known nothing about the game other than a few card names, most of which Joey had told her about which only served to irritate Seto, though he did his best to suppress it. But with time and some practice, Kisara was beginning to pick up on how the game functioned. The downside to them spending lunch time practicing was that Mokuba was getting increasingly annoyed with his brother as he was used to being spoiled and taken out of school for his lunch hour.

"You always say 'depending on the situation'," Kisara told him.

"Well it does," Seto shot back.

"There's not one deck that's like, I don't know, the master over all others?" She said, taking another bite of her gelato and glancing over the cards in her hand.

"Mine."

Kisara pursed her lips and skeptically stared at him with slight resentment. Again, Seto rolled his eyes, "Well, mine is better structured than most and can handle a variety of situations; that's why I haven't played with it against you. But there's really no one 'master deck'. That's not how the game was designed. Otherwise, everyone would be using the same deck and it wouldn't be any fun."

He took a bite of his chocolate gelato as she responded, "So essentially, if you're not Seto Kaiba, you need to have several different decks ready to use for any given duel."

His blue eyes shot her a glance at the dig at his prowess, "Probably, yes."

Kisara let out a mild laugh at his arrogance and took another bite of her own, "So in other words, I'm a long way from being able to duel competitively."

Despite what Seto saw as a depressing statement, Kisara continued to smile at her shortcomings as she scooped up the last bite of her icy dessert, "You're not... that far off."

Kisara glanced up at him surprised as he continued, "What I mean is, you're still learning. It's unfair to compare yourself to myself or Muto. And for a learner, you are picking up on the game rather quickly."

The girl in front of him shrugged with a pained smile on her face, "Yeah, but I don't even have any cards. I keep using yours, remember?"

"Well, you could change that by buying a booster pack," Seto said.

"Hmm... not really," Kisara said, awkwardly.

"What do you mean, 'not really'?" Seto asked, "You work at a game shop."

"Yeah, but, booster packs are kind of... expensive, especially when you have bills to pay and such," Kisara answered with a shrug.

Seto had never considered that. Even still, what was a booster pack, 300 yen? His brow furrowed, "Is Wheeler jipping you or something?"

"Huh?" Kisara looked up in surprise, "Oh no, he's paying me fine. Just, living in a city is expensive you know..."

Seto's eyes narrowed in scrutiny, but decided to drop the subject, "Well, if you ask in the future, I'm sure Muto would give you a discount. He's a pushover like that."

Kisara gave a slight nod, her spoon on the tip of her lips, dry now, but still encrusted with the remnants of sweet sugar from her strawberry delight. Seto leaned back and sighed, looking out over the restaurant at the other diners. He found that he liked this restaurant for its low key atmosphere, the soft ambiance a significant change from the chains catering to Mokuba's generation with their AKB48 and Hey Say Jump music blasting from the speakers. It was nice. He glanced over at Kisara who seemed lost in thoughts of her own. Coming back to the here and now, Seto cracked his knuckles, drawing her attention to him.

"So, do you want to try one more time?" He asked.

Kisara tilted her head with a fish faced shrug, "Eh, why not, what time is it anyway?"

"It's 1:33."

Immediately the sound of the whole table lifting off of the ground and crashing to the floor again on its legs filled the restaurant, nearly startling Seto out of his skin. Looking up, he saw Kisara gingerly holding her knee as she limped out of the booth, leaving her share of the bill on the table.

"I'm so late, I've got to go. Joey will be furious," She said between string of various 'ows' she muttered to herself, "We have the new boards being released today. I'm so sorry, but thank you again Seto."

"No problem," He said, finding his voice after the sound had completely jolted him, "Same time next week?"

"Yeah!" She called, now seeming to have recovered from the impact and briskly heading towards the exit, "Can't wait!"

Seto watched as Kisara slipped out of Italiano's door and down the stairs out of sight, her long white hair trailing after her, like a cape in the middle of August. His eyes cast themselves over the table in front of him, now empty save for the cards Kisara had been using moments earlier. He picked them up and glanced over her hand before his eyes wandered back to the exit of Italiano's. With a roll of his eyes, he replaced the cards in their places inside his briefcase, snapped the case closed, and proceeded to exit the establishment.

Out of breath, Kisara pulled open the door to the game shop and panted as her boss looked over a box at her, "Gorgeous, you're late!"

"I know..." She breathed, "I'm... I'm so... sorry."

"If you're sorry, help me with this box," Joey said, clearly struggling with the weight.

Kisara nodded and ran over to help Joey lift the box and bring it around to the other side, where they would be able to restock the shelves. They both let out a breath of relief as the boards hit the floor with a soft thud. Joey wiped his brow, which was glistening with sweat.

"Where were you? You know we don't have much time before the rush comes..."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I lost track of time," Kisara apologized.

Joey pulled his shirt up and wiped the rest of the sweat from his face, "Well, if you have to, buy a watch so that next time you're not late."

"Are you going to provide her with an accurate salary for her work so she can pay for said watch?"

Both turned to see the open door of the game shop filled with the silhouette of Seto Kaiba. Joey squinted, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. He stood up fully and walked over to see if indeed, his vision was correct. Unfortunately for him, it was.

"What are you doing here, Kaiba?" Joey asked, "I don't see the squirt here."

"I've come to take responsibility for your employee's tardiness," Seto said sternly.

"Excuse me?" Joey asked.

"I was teaching her how to play Duel Monsters," Seto elaborated, "We didn't notice the time, but I'm sure you can understand that."

"Wait... what?" Joey looked back and forth between his employee, who seemed frozen in disbelief, and Kaiba, trying to make sense of the new information being presented to him, "So... wait, are you trying to apologize to me?"

"Hardly," Seto said, "I am only here to say you should lay the blame on me."

"You're a walk in the park as always," Joey said.

"At least it's a park," Seto said, a scathing undertone in his words.

Joey narrowed his eyes, before he let out a sigh, "Whatever Kaiba, look, Kisara and I need to get back to work in prep for the new game boards. Kisara, in the future, I can teach you how to play. You don't need to go to this creep of a narcissist to learn."

"Please, Wheeler, what could you teach her?" Seto scoffed.

"Hey, I have a number of strong decks, Kaiba," Joey said, "My Red Eyes in action could easily take out your Blue Eyes if equipped with the right spell."

Kisara's glances between the two paused as she lost herself in thought. The card 'Blue Eyes' was one that sounded familiar, but certainly not one that Seto had shown her... Where had she heard it before...

"Which an easy De-Spell or trap card could prevent, of which I have plenty. Face it, Wheeler, the Red Eyes Black Dragon is a sad excuse for a monster to rely on in this game," Seto spat, clearly irritated he was even having this conversation.

"Well, regardless, I'd be a better teacher than you. I'd be willing to bet that you just continue to beat her with the Blue Eyes and don't even give her a shot. Am I right, Kisara?" Joey asked, turning to her.

Both boys eyes focused on Kisara, who looked up from the depths of her thoughts, "Huh? Oh, um... no... I've never seen a Blue Eyes card..."

Joey's eyes looked like they'd bulge out of his skull, "Wait, you mean Kaiba hasn't shown you yet?"

"She's just starting to learn; we haven't even used duel disks yet. No need to throw the Blue Eyes into the mix," Seto said, rolling his eyes.

"Still though..." Joey said, "From an egotist like you, I would have expected you to flaunt those during the first lesson... and as much as I hate to admit it, seeing the Blue Eyes in action is seriously exciting."

"That's been established since the first time I dueled Yugi, Wheeler," Seto said.

"Yeah, well, seriously, that's a jip of a lesson from you if you never see them," Joey stated, "Then again, it's also been established since that first duel that you couldn't even beat Yugi with them, so I guess it's not that much of a loss."

In an instant, Joey found himself flinching and shutting his eyes as with a quick swing of his arm, Seto brought his fist up to his eye level. Kisara gasped, no words coming out, mortified by what was about to befall her boss, but the impending backhanded smack never came. Joey opened an eye to see Seto unhooking his watch.

"Kisara," He tossed the watch to her, which she caught, to her surprise, in one swift motion, "Here. Since your stingy boss isn't likely to increase your salary."

Joey glanced between the two and, after figuring that Kaiba wasn't about to physically assault him, decided that enough was enough, "We pay her well enough, Kaiba. Now if you're not going to buy anything, I'm going to ask you to leave."

Kaiba shot a glare at Wheeler, breaking his eye contact with Kisara, "Oh, no need to ask. I already intended to."

"Uh... Seto..." Kisara started, reaching her hand up as Seto moved to leave, when he glanced over his shoulder to see her.

"If you want, I'll still teach you Kisara, same time as always. I'm a man of my word," Seto remarked, shooting a quick glare at Joey before turning back to Kisara, "I won't hold your boss' idiocy against you."

Kisara froze, her hand seemingly suspended in mid air as Seto replaced his sunglasses as the sunlight hit his eyes, before he exited and slammed the door shut. She felt herself jump and saw her arm slowly lower, but her mind felt like a rock. It was as though she had been seized by some unforeseen force that made her want to shake, but didn't allow her such a privilege. Joey groaned, rolled his eyes, and turned back towards the counter.

"Self-absorbed rich-boy," He muttered.

Kisara continued to look at the door, her mind balancing the images of the door opening and then never opening again, back and forth. She felt like a large explosion had rocked the earth, but she stood there, glued to the floor, her legs like stone.

 **-YGO-**

Seto Kaiba storming into KaibaCorp's front doors was nothing unusual. It often happened at least twice a week. But today, he didn't even notice the pleadings from his employees as he marched his way towards the duel simulator.

"Mr. Kaiba, the meeting regarding the enhanced graphics chips is about to begin- where are you—"

He snapped the door to the simulator arena shut, effectively locking out all of those who would see to interrupt his mind, which he felt at this moment was capable of deconstructing and thereby decimating the whole of Domino City through telepathy. Loading up the simulator, he took off his suit jacket and strapped on a duel disk.

Level: Select One

Using one of his long pointed fingers, he scrolled to 'Exponential'.

It was a step above his usual.

Suddenly, the arena came to life and he felt the familiar electric click and buzz from his duel disk on his forearm as it linked with the system. He watched with slitted eyes as the simulator began to summon a monster. He let out a breath and dispensed five cards, three traps, one spell, and a low level monster. He grit his teeth. Fine. If today was going to be a pill, he'd take it and shred it into dust.

 **-YGO-**

Yugi carefully brushed away dust from the edges of the engravings on the tablet below him, a pair of glasses equipped with microscopic lens on his face, latched onto his head by a strap around the back of it. After a week of thoroughly inspecting the tablet's center for any sign that his lie to Pegasus had been accurate (it wasn't), Ishizu had suggested he look at what he might have 'overlooked' again. With a slightly dejected resolve, he had moved to the edges, doing his best to perhaps find hieroglyphs that might say more about the potential of the Blue Eyes. But he was coming up with zilch. Just poetic like engravings, none of which were very specific or telling.

"My king."

He spun around to see Ishizu, a phone in hand. He ripped the glasses off and looked up at her, "Huh?"

"I have my brother on the line; I thought he might be more of a help here since as he inherited knowledge of the Pharaoh that I didn't. Do you wish to speak with him?" She asked.

"Marik? Yeah, put him on," Yugi said, taking the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi, Yugi, it's Marik," Came the voice.

"Hi, Marik," Yugi continued, exchanging formalities, "You heard what happened with the tablet?"

"Yes, Ishizu explained some of it," Marik relayed.

"Well… we're literally coming up with zilch right now in terms of an explanation as to why one of largest and most significant discoveries in recent years just vanished," Yugi said, "Any ideas?"

"Ishizu said the Kaiba brothers were the last to see it, right?" Marik asked.

"Yeah. Apparently Kaiba pulled out his cards and the tablet reacted…"

There was a pause on the other end, before Yugi heard Marik hesitantly speak, "Yugi…you already know what I think happened right?"

Yugi sighed, "I think... that it reacted with Kaiba because of his past-life's connection to the Blue Eyes, right?

"Well, obviously that's part of it," Marik said, "But if you think about it, the Pharaoh's most loyal servant became his most trusted duel monster ally. It was there for him not only in his past-life, but beyond the grave. I mean, even when we dueled in Battle City, how many forms did the Dark Magician take in the defense of the Pharaoh?"

Yugi waited for Marik to finish, "Dozens, right? And it does the same for you. What I'm saying is that the Blue Eyes likely has a very similar connection to Kaiba. In that regard…"

"The Blue Eyes is out to help or defend Kaiba from something…" Yugi finished, his thoughts trailing off.

"Well, probably, but I don't think that's the end of it. A connection like that always has a pri-"

"Yugi-boy!"

Yugi spun around to see Pegasus coming into the room, arms open and up in his usual excited fashion.

"I'll call you back."

"Wait, Yugi—"

But the phone clicked off behind the archaeologist's back

"Pegasus, what can we do for you?" Yugi asked promptly with a feigned smile.

"Nothing more than you already have," Pegasus insisted, though Yugi and Ishizu both felt as though the statement was also meant as a bit of a dig at their work.

"Pegasus, we're currently working on deciphering some of the text along the sides of the tablets…" Ishizu began, "Do you need us to work on something else that is more pressing?"

"There isn't anything particularly pressing, Ms. Ishtar, however, I will say that you've seemed… strained with the number of workers you have available," Pegasus stated.

"Oh no, they're all doing quite well," Ishizu started, when Pegasus cut her off.

"Yes, but we really are on a time crunch and the tablet's collapse has thrown everything off schedule," Pegasus informed her, "I can't continue to pay for room and board for months on months after all."

"That's fine," Yugi said, stepping forward, "I'm living at my family's. If necessary due to financial constraints, I can remain here while Ishizu returns."

Pegasus turned to eye Yugi once again and Yugi's suspicions that financial concerns were the least of Pegasus' worries were near confirmed.

"And I appreciate your dedication, Yugi-boy," Pegasus relayed coldly, "But I also find that at times, a new set of eyes can make all the difference. So I'd like to add to your team with another young and exceptional archeologist, of whom I am sure you're already familiar with."

"And who, pray tell, might that be?" Ishizu questioned, skeptically.

Pegasus turned on his heel and snapped, notifying his security team to open the doors, through which strolled another young man with a rather edgy haircut, the color whiter than Pegasus' own silver locks. Ishizu's eyes widened and her mouth shut, trying to maintain composure while Yugi felt his stomach drop out of his gut.

Ryo Bakura.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** I know what the question is: "Why was that Ishizu and Yugi's reaction to seeing Bakura?" Do not worry, all in good time this be answered. For now, let's just say that time can create bitter craters. In any case, what did you think? Did you like it? Let me know in reviews! I'm in the middle of a move right now, so my time online is a little limited these days, but I'll do my best to keep up and provide you all with another chapter soon! Until then~~

Later,

~Rena


	13. Chapter Thirteen: 時計 (Tokei)

**Disclaimer:** Still nada. I own nothing.

 **Author's Note:** So I'm still impressed that I was able to update this, despite it having taken a while, primarily because I just moved and have gotten as much done in the unpacking as I have along with getting this chapter up haha. In any case, onto the chapter!

 ** _Terms -_**

 _Staying late at work_ -

 _Arubaito_ \- Means a "part-timer"; pulled from the German language

 _Yakisoba Pan_ \- Fried noodles in a sandwich

 _CC Lemon_ \- The Best drink in the world… think lemonade that isn't as sweet, but mixed with strong seltzer.

 _Lawsons_ \- A chain of konbini.

 _31_ \- How the company "Baskin Robbins" is known by in Japan.

 _Mushiatsui_ \- Means 'Humid'

 _1,000,000 yen_ \- $10,000 USD… so many zeros haha.

 _Master Tourbillion Dueltime_ \- see below in the second A/N.

 _Torii_ \- a gateway to a Shinto Shrine, shaped similarly to the symbol for pi.

 _"_ _妙_ _" (Myou)_ \- A Kanji with meanings such as "Wonder, Mystery, Strange, Weird, Odd, Curious, Miracle, Excellence, Cleverness, Adroitness, Knack, or Skill"

 _"_ _法_ _" (Hou)_ \- A Kanji with meanings such as "law, act, principle, method, mood, or dharma"

 _"_ _大_ _" (Dai)_ \- A Kanji primarily meaning "Big, Large, or Great"

 _Gozan no Okuribi_ \- Hehe, you'll find out in later chapters… or I guess you could google it to spoil it. -shrugs-

 _UVERworld_ \- A Japanese rock band active since 2000. They have done a number of opening and ending themes to various Anime, such as Bleach, Blood+, Death Note, Blue Exorcist, D. Gray-man, and Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

 _Chuo Koen –_ "Central Park"

Today's title means a "Watch" (used to tell time and worn on the wrist).

 **-YGO-**

 _"Ah, if only our voices speaking at night,_

 _Could ever reach the very edge of this world, and of time_

 _Instead of fading into air and dust_

 _Then what will the words, could it ever be_

 _Farthest words from "probably"_

 _Let's make a promise that will never fade_

 _Let's say it together on the count of three, oh"_

-"Dream Lantern" by RADWIMPS

 **Chapter Thirteen:** **時計** **(Tokei)**

Around 11:30 PM, Mokuba decided that his brother's absence (and the repeated calls he had made that were sent to voicemail) were enough of a reason to go down to KaibaCorp to see what the gaming industry had done to keep his brother from returning home for the night. Grabbing the keys to the BMW Z4, one of the few convertibles Seto would let him drive, he hit the gas and drove down to the monolith of a building that dwarfed the rest of Domino City.

The lights were mostly off. Many of their employees could be found staying late till 10, but a few stragglers tended to stay when deadlines pressed at their throats. Sighing, he parked the car in front of the building and, knowing the valet had gone home, covered the convertible and locked the door before he hiked up the steps, taking them two at a time. He swiped his key card pass and strolled inside, making his way towards the glass elevator that would take him straight up to Seto's office. Waving his card over the security checkpoint, almost instantly, he was taken up to his older brother's office, which he was surprised to find… empty.

Mokuba's brows furrowed. If his brother wasn't here… He picked up the phone and hit the familiar speed dial. It rang only once when the occupant on the other end of the line picked it up.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Isono, have you seen my brother?" Mokuba asked.

"He was down in the duel simulator last I heard, Master Mokuba," Isono said.

"What's he doing down there?" Mokuba questioned, both exhausberated and concerned at the same time.

"I do not know sir," Isono relayed, "He ignored and skipped all of his meetings today…"

Mokuba nodded, thinking. Had something happened? Seto wasn't one to miss meetings… but what would send Seto into a duel obsessed frenzy? It's not like it was something that happened much… anymore anyway. He rolled his eyes, hoping it wasn't something to do with Pegasus, Zigfried, or worse, their step-father.

"Thanks, Isono," Mokuba said, "I'll go check on him."

"Good luck, Master Mokuba," Isono seemingly saluted on the other end.

Mokuba let an ironic smile grace his features, "Thanks, bye."

Setting the phone back on the receiver, Mokuba headed back to the elevator, where this time, he began the descent to the basement. Upon ending up on floor B2, he exited to find the Duel Simulator Arena locked. He rolled his eyes, punched in his birthday, and watched the keys unlock the digital gears. Seto really needed a new password combination and Mokuba thanked his lucky stars that he had convinced Seto to use a different combo for their bank. But when the sound proof chamber opened, his brother's password issues became the least of his worries.

"Nii-sama?"

Seto didn't even seem to hear him as the digital monsters in front of him pixelated into oblivion. He leaned straight back and let out a yell of frustration before turning around and heading to the controls, for what must have been the 400th time that night.

Level: Select.

Again: Exponential.

"Nii-sama, what are you doing?" Mokuba asked as Seto watched the machine determine he was to go first, a look of agitation and rage clearly set upon his countenance, "We haven't tested exponential yet. It's a three turn or less beat down…"

Seto drew four cards and set a monster in attack mode, bumping it up in defense and attack power with three spell cards. He wasn't even bothering to speak, his breath seeming slightly haggard from what Mokuba could only assume was a heavy beat of his brother's heart.

"Nii-sama…"

"Setting one monster in attack mode. Polymerization…"

"No!" Seto yelled, but it was too late.

A Summoned Skull took form and, with a Lucky Iron Axe, destroyed his defensive spells and took the life of the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit Seto had just set. Mokuba heard the duel disk's life force deplete on his brother's arm and in one more turn, Seto had lost, again it seemed. As Seto turned to start up the simulator again, his eyes were brimming with a kind of anger his brother had only seen a few times before. For that reason, Mokuba decided that now was the time to step in.

"Nii-sama, stop…" He said, grabbing his brother by the shoulders.

"Let… go of me!" Seto screamed at the younger, struggling to get out of his grasp.

"No, it's midnight, what on earth are you doing here?!" Mokuba demanded to know.

"Mokuba!"

"Nii-sama!"

Seto stopped struggling and looked Mokuba dead in the eye. Slowly, the anger seemed to fade upon seeing his brother's worry, but it wasn't all gone. He shut his eyes and in one swift motion, ripped Mokuba's hands from his arms and unclasped the duel disk from his arm, tossing it to the floor with a loud clatter. Mokuba watched, suddenly saddened, but also overcome with concern.

"Nii-sama…"

Seto got to the machine and shut the simulator down, wordlessly as his chest hurt from the strain his rapidly beating heart had put on him for the last few hours in the excitement and pressure from the games. Mokuba dared to step forward.

"Nii-sama, what happened?" He asked.

Seto leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling, before startling Mokuba out of his skin by kicking with a yell of frustration a nearby trashcan to the ground. The loud booming echo was followed by silence as slowly, Seto's shoulders sagged.

"Nothing, just Wheeler."

Wheeler? Mokuba hadn't heard that one in ages. His expression of skepticism never reached his brother though, who moved to pick up his jacket and head for the door, a migraine coming on. Seto tried to focus on calming down. His brother was clearly worried about him, when there really wasn't a reason to be. Wheeler just didn't know when to take something and shut up. And just because he hadn't been able to beat the duel simulator today, it didn't mean he couldn't. After all, it wasn't like he'd even managed to draw a Blue Eyes in any of those rounds-

Seto's eyes widened. Wait… How could that be? After all, how many games had he played? It was statistically nearly impossible to not draw at the very least one. Had he forgotten to shuffle them into his deck? As he and his brother reached the elevator, he pulled out his deck and sifted through the cards. No, all three of them were there. It was bizarre...

Mokuba eyed his brother's gaze in question, "Seto?"

Seto looked over at Mokuba who was now at his side, "Huh?"

"You okay?" He asked.

Seto's gaze dropped back down to the three Blue Eyes, whose normal shimmer seemed dull in his hands. He carefully placed the deck back in its case in his pocket.

"I'm fine," He answered.

The elevator shot upward and in minutes, they were walking out to the car that Mokuba had driven over. Seto would get his tomorrow. He took to the passenger seat so easily, that Mokuba found himself questioning if this was actually his brother. He rolled his eyes and got in the car.

"Fine, if you don't want to tell me what's really bothering you, then fine. But we're going home because I have to go to bed," He said, slamming the door shut on his side of the car.

As Mokuba began to drive off, Seto let the cool air on his face calm his features.

 _'Just let it go. Just let it go,'_ He thought.

And then he saw her face watching him and Wheeler arguing and a fresh wave of anger hit him. He turned his face away from Mokuba. Why did that matter? Why did it matter that she was there? Kisara was just... someone who he had made an agreement with. Nothing more. So why then... was her startled and worried face so bothersome to him? He shut his eyes, cursing the image away. It didn't bother him. It didn't.

But it did.

 **-YGO-**

Kisara slipped her hair behind her ears for about the fifth time that afternoon as she reached down to lift another box up from the back room to bring out to the game shop's bustling aisles. Joey had been right. From Friday afternoon until all day Saturday, the game shop had become as busy as could be with gamers coming in for the new game boards. Even though game boards were not the preferred method of playing Duel Monsters on (that title remained with the KaibaCorp Duel Disk), they were still by far the method most often purchased. While a Duel Disk could run for well over 10,000 yen, depending on the model, a game board could be as cheap as 500 yen, with the most expensive tending to round out to about 2500 yen ($2S). In other words, they were by far much cheaper.

And just like the cover of Tea's phone that she seemed to change constantly depending on her outfit of choice, so too did duelists also change the design of their game boards (though Kisara admittedly preferred the beautiful pink crystal blossoms and blue snowflakes on Tea's phone covers to the monster themed art amid the many game boards). But in short, all of that meant that this weekend would be busy. And busy it was.

As Kisara struggled to keep a strong hold on the box as she pushed through the many patrons of the store (being sure to excuse herself if she did indeed actually bump into someone), she found relief in reaching her destination where she could plop the box down (quietly) and restock the shelves. She cracked her back as discretely as she could and bent back down to open the box and get back to work. Though she was exhausted, she was happy to be able to work. Joey had actually told her that she could have off today if she had wanted, but she declined saying that she would rather get in some of the hours.

 _"You sure? You're just an Arubaito, you don't have to," Joey said._

 _"No, no, it's fine! Any work is good work!"_

Recalling the conversation as sweat dripped down her brow, she half wondered if she half-regretted her cheery statement from before.

"Hey, are those the new Ginzo boards?"

Kisara looked up to see a patron, probably around Serenity's age. She nodded, "Yes, would you like one?"

"Yeah," He answered, "Just one."

She handed him the board with a bow and he replied, "Thanks."

She stood up with a smile and slight nod, but was grateful as he began to walk away. Her shoulders inadvertently slouched. Joey normally did the heavy lifting, but doing the heavy lifting meant she could stay away from the front, where she would have to keep a cheery demeanor on all of the time, which since yesterday, she just couldn't seem to bring herself to do for more than five minutes at a time. She couldn't help it though. She felt a guilt that swelled in her throat every time she thought of the incident from yesterday. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Joey.

"Hey, couldn't find you and I got a minute," He said, "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, what's up?" She asked.

Joey looked over her flushed face with concern, but shrugged it off begrudgingly, "Well, go take a break, you missed lunch, right? Tea is inside the house if you want to go catch a bite with her."

Kisara looked over at the backdoor, which signaled some relief. She nodded, "Okay, thanks Joey."

"No problem."

As she walked to the doorway into the house, she held herself with poise, but upon shutting the door to the hallway of the Muto home, she leaned against it with a sigh of relief.

"Joey, that you?" Tea called.

Kisara looked up and wearily pushed herself up off the door and walked to the kitchen, "No, it's me."

"Oh, hey, was wondering when you'd get a break. Pretty crazy out there today, isn't it?" Tea said, shutting her book.

Kisara nodded, "Yeah..."

"You hungry? You want to get something?" Tea asked her.

Again, Kisara managed a nod. Tea grabbed her bag and the two exited from the side door, where they began the walk to the little strip of shops that had a variety of cute little cafes. But Kisara was content with just the idea of konbini food. Cheap food.

"Well, you can take solace in knowing that you're not the only one working overtime," Tea told her, "Yugi had to cancel lunch today with me because of work. I swear, Pegasus uses him sometimes. It's not like the past is going anywhere you know? Not that finding out what brought you hear isn't important; I think Pegasus is making him work on other things too though that are not as pressing in the grand scheme of things..."

Kisara listened vaguely when she saw the entrance to the Lawsons. The two walked inside and while she picked out her food, a Yakisoba Pan and CC Lemon soda today, Tea perused the aisles for other items like stockings and lipgloss. As the items rang up with a couple 'beeps', Kisara found her energy draining as she fumbled with her coin purse to pull out a 500 yen coin. Handing over the bronze colored old coin, she thanked the lady at the register and met Tea by the door.

"You sure you don't want to stop by a cafe?" Tea asked her, "Joey wouldn't mind if you're a little late."

"No, this is fine," Kisara said as they pushed through the doors and headed back to the shop.

Tea watched as her friend's eyes seemed downcast at the pavement, focused on just putting one foot in front of the other. She pursed her lips and grabbed Kisara's wrist and began to drag her over to a colorful looking shop across the way.

"Huh, Tea, wha-"

As they j-walked across the way, Kisara held her breath hoping no oncoming cars would suddenly round the corner, allowing herself only relief once they were safely on the sidewalk where Tea continued to drag her over to a colorful pink and white store with the number '31' at the top. Inside, Kisara found the cool air a refreshing break from the heat and humidity that the summer had brought. Japan's heat was different than that of Kemet's. The 'mushiatsui' feeling of dampness in the air was enough to make her want to collapse on occasion, even within the game shop, due to the constant opening and closing of the front door. However, this place felt nice inside and a sweet scent of sugar pervaded the area.

Tea smiled upon seeing that no one was in front of them in line and proceeded to bring Kisara to the front, "What flavor do you want to try?"

"What? Tea, I'm alright..."

"My treat, go on!" Tea told her.

Sighing, Kisara looked at the multiple flavors. Spotting a light blue and white swirl, she pointed and answered, "I guess... Cream Soda?"

Tea nodded and went up to the teenager behind the counter, "Can I get a double scoop of Cream Soda in a cup and a scoop of Strawberry Cheesecake and another of Chopped Chocolate in another? Oh, and for toppings..."

Kisara's eyes wandered back to the street, thinking of her need to get back to the store, but primarily of her desire to just go home, when a cup of swirling blue and white ice cream and toppings jumped into her line of vision. She followed the hand holding the ice cream up to see Tea smiling back at her.

"You can have dessert before lunch for once," She said.

Kisara smiled and took the cup, "Thanks."

"No problem," Tea said, "Come on, let's sit outside."

The two girls followed the stairs up to the second floor where they were met with a beautiful outdoor veranda. Finding a table with two chairs near the edge, Tea sat down, relieved to take a load off.

"So, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" She said.

Kisara stopped mid-way through her bite of her cute ice cream treat, "Huh? Nothing's wrong."

"Oh, don't tell me nothing's wrong. Why do you think I bought you ice cream?" Tea told her, taking a bite of her own, "So want to spill?"

Kisara mulled it over in her mind for a moment. Tea wasn't the type to give up easily. It was probably best to just to tell her.

"Well... uh, I think I uh, might have been the cause of a fight..." She said slowly.

"What? Between who? Over what?" Tea asked, leaning back and getting ready to take another bite.

"Um, well, it all started when I got back to work late from lunch with Seto-" Tea choked on the ice cream in her mouth, making Kisara pause in a panic, "Are you okay?"

Tea coughed and fought her way through a brain freeze, "I'm, I'm fine, but wait, when you say Seto, you mean Kaiba? As in Seto Kaiba?"

Kisara nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Tea found herself tongue tied as a million different thoughts, worries, and opinions flooded her mind from the memory of the conversation she had had with Yugi that day when they went for lunch. Unsure of how to proceed, she went with the most neutral route she could, "Well, uh, never mind, what were you guys doing having lunch together?"

"He offered to teach me how to play Duel Monsters at the onsen last week," Kisara explained to her wide-eyed roommate, "So I've been meeting him for lunch every day since Monday."

Tea felt like a bowling ball had just landed in the pit of her stomach, "Since Monday?"

"Yeah," Kisara said, "Anyway, so I was on my way back-"

"Wait, wait, hold up, does he, well, know?" Tea asked, "About..."

She twirled her fingers around in a circle and the expression on her face relayed the silent question to Kisara, amazingly with ease, "No, I didn't tell him about the tablet or Kemet. He does know I don't remember everything about my past though..."

Tea sat back in her seat again, nodding, "Okay... sorry, just had to ask, so... you were saying?"

Kisara sighed, "Well, I went back to the shop late and Joey, you know, he was just telling me to not be late next time. And then Kaiba came in and told Joey to blame him for my being late..."

Tea listened, her ears feeling like they'd stretched to the size of an elephant's as so much bizarre and unheard of information leaked down the tunnels to her eardrums.

"And then they got into a fight-"

"Not a fist fight right?" Tea asked immediately.

"Huh? No no, not... well... I don't know, I thought Seto was going to hit him at one point," Kisara said, musing over yesterday's events, "But he didn't! He threw me his watch instead and left. Joey had said to get a watch; that's why."

Tea sat back in her chair. Kisara had been _seeing_ Kaiba every day this past week. Kaiba had _offered_ to teach her Duel Monsters. Kaiba had taken _responsibility_ for Kisara's tardiness. And it was Seto Kaiba. Not Mokuba Kaiba. Seto freakin' Kaiba.

"What?" Kisara asked, "You look more... confused about the whole thing than I do."

Tea looked up and swallowed, trying to think of where to start, "Well, uh, I mean, you shouldn't feel bad about Joey and Seto fighting. They always fight. Like it's normal whenever they see one another. They've had a rivalry since Pegasus hosted the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Well, Joey more so than Kaiba. Joey irritates Seto to no tomorrow though. Even Yugi said he was surprised that Seto didn't rip Joey open for all of the stuff he spewed at Kawaguchiko... "

Kisara nodded, waiting for her friend to continue, "But... I don't get it."

"What do you mean?" Kisara asked.

"I don't get... why Kaiba would do that for you," Tea said, "Don't get me wrong, I believe Yugi when he says that Kaiba's a good person, but... he can be a bit of a jerk at times and he's rather self-centered. The only person I've ever seen him do anything for selflessly is his brother."

Kisara shrugged, "He said he was a man of his word."

"Huh?"

"Well, he promised to teach me, so he said he would... And he said he'd continue to teach me if I wanted, even after yesterday..." Kisara trailed off.

Tea watched her friend with concern. Yugi wouldn't like this. In fact, she should probably tell Yugi. He'd want to know. But something that nagged her in the back of her head prevented her hand from texting him right then and there. It was the fact that Kisara wasn't just some thing or a nameless entity. She was her roommate and in the short time they'd known one another, Tea had learned quickly that even though Kisara was out of her timeline, she wasn't an empty shell. She had her fears, concerns, and desires, just like her. She sighed, leaning her head back.

"Is he nice to you?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Is he nice to you?" Tea asked again.

Kisara paused, but nodded, "Yeah, he is."

Tea nodded and bit her lip on the inside, "Well, if he's nice to you and you want to continue to hang out with him, I don't see why you shouldn't. But you should probably tell Yugi. That's something he'd want to know."

Kisara smiled, "I'd tell him if I ever saw him. But he leaves early and doesn't get back to the game shop till after I'm gone."

Tea let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I can't blame you. He's hard to get a hold of... But until you do, I wouldn't tell Seto about Kemet or anything. He's just... he becomes really difficult whenever anything regarding Ancient Egypt comes up..."

Kisara nodded, taking another bite of her ice cream. That's what Yugi had said too... "Why?"

"Hm?" Tea looked up from her ice cream.

"Why does Seto not like talking about Kem- er, Ancient Egypt?" She asked.

Tea shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know. He's always been like that though. He hated whenever Yugi would mention Atem, or well, at the time we called him 'Yami', because we didn't know his real name, but... for whatever reason, Kaiba just didn't want to accept that Yugi was his vessel... maybe because he just doesn't like the idea of destiny or whatever and didn't want to be involved in that..."

Kisara listened, even as the heat beat down on them both through the umbrella shading them from the sun. In the pit of her stomach, she felt an odd sense of unease. Seto didn't like 'destiny'. Nor did he like Ancient Egypt or Kemet. And from what she had seen in the week of lunches spent with him, he seemed very down to earth too. Unwilling to believe in magic or unexplainable events... all of which she was. She looked at the watch on her wrist. It was about time she head back and she still had yet to eat her lunch.

"Is that it?" Tea asked.

"Hm?"

"The watch, is that the one he gave you?" Tea clarified.

"Oh, yeah," Kisara answered.

"Well let's see," Tea said, motioning for Kisara to show the item on her wrist.

Kisara slipped it off and held it up for Tea to see more closely when for about the third time that day, her roommate's eyes bulged, "The heck, he just gave this to you?"

"... uh... yes?" Kisara said, uncertain as to why Tea was responding the way she was, "Why?"

"Because that's a freakin' Jaeger LeCoultre!" Tea exclaimed, "They're super expensive. I remember seeing an article with Robert Downy Jr. and he was talking about his. I wonder what model it is."

Kisara's brow furrowed, as she slipped the watch off her wrist for a better look, "Wait, how expensive?"

"Like 1,000,000 ($10,000 USD) yen plus expensive," Tea answered, pulling up Jaeger LeCoultre's website on her phone.

Kisara nearly dropped the watch, "Wh... what?"

"What's the model?" Tea asked, searching through the website.

"Uh..." Kisara turned the watch around looking for whatever would indicate the model, when she found in very tiny print the name engraved on the rounded edges on the bottom, "It's a... Limited KaibaCorp Edition... Master Tourbillion."

Kisara turned it around. Sure enough, she hadn't noticed it before, but there it was, the KaibaCorp logo beside the 9, made of the same brilliant white as the base that held the watch and all the gears in place along with the hands that ticked around in a perfect fashion. She looked up when Tea exclaimed in excitement, her phone close to her face.

"Ah ha! I think I found it," She said, having searching her iPhone, "Or well, the closest we're going to get to it. I doubt Kaiba would let something like that go on sale publicly... was probably some collaboration or something..."

"What's it say?" Kisara asked, curious.

" _Immersed in the depths of its blue dial, the Master Tourbillion Dualtime Watch,_ ha, Dualtime, of course, um, oh, _is a testament to the jewelry and watchmaking expertise of the Grande Maison_ ," Tea read aloud.

Kisara got up and looked over Tea's shoulder. Indeed, it did look like the watch she had. With the deep blue dial, the surrounding diamonds on the edge and hour markers, the white gold... The only primary difference from what she could tell was the white leather strap, softly brushed streaks of light blue radiating from the center, and the diamond encrusted KaibaCorp logo... diamond... Kisara felt the blood rush from her face and grabbed onto Tea's shoulder.

"What?" She asked.

"He... diamond... these are diamonds..." She said breathlessly.

"Yeah, a lot of them by the looks of it," Tea said, "This one says 83."

"83?!" Kisara repeated.

"Well yeah, but that one looks like it has more," Tea replied.

" _More_?!" Kisara said, feeling her knees shake and her ankles weaken.

"Are you okay?" Tea asked.

Kisara shook her head, "N, no... wha... why would he just... why would he just give me something like this?"

Tea shrugged, "Probably wasn't even thinking about it. You said he was in a fight with Joey at the time right? Maybe he just didn't realize?"

"How could he not realize?!" Kisara questioned ademittly.

Again Tea shrugged, "You forget this is Seto _Kaiba_. He probably has like 50 of these things."

Kisara wasn't sure what part of her brain was more overwhelmed, the mathematical or the emotional side. He just gave it to her? Wasn't even thinking about it? No, he must have realized...

"You want to know how much it cost?" Tea asked.

"N, n, no!" Kisara exclaimed, standing up in full and bringing her hands to her cheeks.

Tea laughed, "Well good, because I was only going to read what the general price for what that kind of watch was. It's probably much higher."

Tea stood up and dropped her ice-cream cup into the trash along and dragged Kisara, still with her hands to her face, down the steps to the street below so they could walk back.

"Oh no, no, no this is... I don't even..." Kisara began to moan in worry.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tea said, "Seriously, if you think it was a mistake, just return it to him the next time you see him."

"But," Kisara started, "What if he _did_ mean to give it to me? Like for real?"

Tea looked at her friend, "Well... I guess we'll get a safe?"

"Get a sa- a what?" She asked.

"A safe, like a vault to keep valuable items," Tea explained.

"I can't keep this!" Kisara exclaimed, "It's way, way too much."

"Well, you could always sell it," Tea offered.

"No!" Kisara yelled back.

Tea looked back at her, "Well... it's either you return it, sell it, or keep it. And one of those is dependent on whether or not Kaiba allows you to return it."

"Why wouldn't he allow me to return it?" Kisara asked.

"Some guys just don't let girls return things to them, that's all," Tea said with a tilt of her head.

"Oh..." Kisara said, trailing off as they stopped at a crosswalk waiting for the light to turn green, "Has this ever happened to you before?"

"Hm?" Tea said, her head turning fully to Kisara.

"You know, has a guy ever given you something that he wouldn't take back?" Kisara repeated, "Like Yugi or someone?"

"Huh? Yugi? Why Yugi?" Tea seemed startled, much to Kisara's surprise.

"Well... you're close friends right?" She asked, "Has he ever given you anything that he wouldn't let you return?"

Tea's gaze directed itself to the ground in thought. He'd given her a lot of things. He gave her her very own Dark Magician Girl Card, adventures, inspiration, his friendship, his own light... She bit her lip.

"Um... I guess you could say that he has," Tea said slowly, "Nothing physically that expensive, but... what he has given me, I guess there really isn't any way to return them..."

Perceptively, Kisara let the subject drop with a simple acknowledgement of understanding. Gazing to her left, she saw an electronics store filled with TVs. Reports showed a giant boat, a torii, and "妙" (Myou), "法" (Hou), and "大" (Dai) characters, all a light in mountains with the caption reading "Gozan no Okuribi" at the bottom. She watched as a man interviewed another man, but no sound came out. As the wonderment of where the place was trickled into her mind, the light turned green and they crossed as the familiar beeping indicating safety sounded. The two girls gave one another a small bow as they bid their ados. As they turned to depart, Tea found herself looking over her shoulder as Kisara swept into Yugi's house to finish her lunch before likely busying herself with more work.

Plugging into her iPhone and letting "UVERworld" play, Tea walked through Chuo Koen on her way back to the train station, mulling over all of the news she and Kisara had discussed. Workers built up stands and electricity generators were being rolled into place, distracting her from her songs and train of thought. She sighed as the worry and fear that Yugi would overreact to Kisara spending time with Kaiba filled her mind. Was he really justified in his concern? Was there really any harm in it? Maybe... if Seto was unwilling to help later on down the road... And then the realization hit her. If they really were spending their lunches together, then it was possible that... Kisara and Seto were becoming friends.

Tea numbly scanned her Suica card as she got passed the barrier to the JR line to take her home. The train arrived on the platform within seconds. She waited for people to exit before getting on and finding a corner seat to slump down on. The familiar hiss of the doors sliding shut sounded, but her mind was lost to other notions and fears, such as those relating to her roommate's happiness. She really wanted everything to work out for Kisara. But... how that would happen... she just wasn't sure. What even was 'work out' defined as in Kisara's book? Would she even want to return to Ancient Egypt now that she'd been here and was making friends? She bit her lip in worry, hoping that Yugi would figure out what was going on soon before something irreversible would take place.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So the watch is based off of two real watches, one of which is indeed made by Jaeger LeCoultre, called the "Master Tourbillion". If you search up the name, the brand, and then add "White Gold" and "1563480", it should be one of the first hits you get. That one runs for about $90,000 USD. The other is sold by SuperGroupies, a seller of fashionable anime related attire and accessories. Just look under their YuGiOh! section and you'll find the watch (it's much more affordable too lol). Anyway, thank you again all for your patience! Let me know what you thought and until next time~~

Later,

~Rena


	14. Chapter Fourteen: 居酒屋 (Izakaya)

**Disclaimer:** Hmmm…. Still nope.

 **Author's Note:** And the Halloween season is upon us! Have you guys all picked out your costumes yet? I haven't…. ^^; Ironic how this chapter has nothing to do with Halloween. Lots of food though! I swear, while writing this chapter I got hungry. In any case, here's a new chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

 _ **Terms -** _

_Ika -_ Squid

 _Karage -_ Deep fried Chicken - superrrrrrr good

 _Yakitori -_ pieces of chicken and vegetables on skewers, very small, I could easily eat 6 of these

Okonomiyaki - Lit "How you like it pancake", but it's not a pancake in the traditional sense that we're used to. Utilizes noodles, cabbage, various seafood (generally squid or octopus or shrimp), and various seasonings and sauces.

 _Momo -_ Chicken thighs

 _Negima -_ Chicken (generally thigh meat) with Scallions/leek

 _Tsukune-_ Chicken based meatballs

 _Saba -_ Mackerel (very salty kind of fish)

 _Hamachi -_ Yellowtail

 _Tabehodai -_ Lit. "All you can eat"

Today's title translates to a Japanese Bar, with various features such as sliding doors and the removal of shoes prior to sitting down at one's table. These vary from restaurant to restaurant. Many salarymen go after work and drink at these kinds of restaurants. People frequently smoke in these restaurants as well.

 **-YGO-**

" _Don't you think about me enough?_

 _I've been burning my heart out,_

 _I've got to face, need to tell you,_

 _I won't run because I'm reticent…"_

-"Call of Silence" by Hiroyuki Sawano

 **Chapter Fourteen:** **居酒屋** **(Izakaya)**

In the end, Tea was right again. Yugi didn't get off until 10:30 that night. Too tired to even bike, or perhaps too irritated, he schlepped his way home at a zombie's pace. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that when a motorcycle practically paused right next to him, he didn't even notice until its rider spoke to him.

"Yug!"

Yugi practically jumped, but refrained somehow, likely because on a subconscious level, he knew that voice. The one and only voice of Tristen Taylor.

"Tristen, the heck," Yugi said, holding his chest and continuing to walk, "What are you doing here?"

"Better question is what are you doing here?" Tristen responded, "You know, even salarymen tend to leave work at 9. What on earth is keeping you at the research center so late?"

Yugi looked at the ground with a scowl, but Tristen didn't miss a beat, continuing, "Why don't we head over to an Izakaya?"

"Tristen, you know I don't like to go to those..." Yugi remarked, clearly annoyed.

"Come on, we'll get a private room that will block out the smoke. Besides," Tristen said, "When _you_ have an attitude, there's a need to have a good sit down meal."

Yugi mulled over the idea before giving a slight nod, "Fine, but I'm not drinking."

"Never said you had to," Tristen said, "There's a good one right around the corner here..."

Yugi followed Tristen around the corner where the two parked their bikes near the red lanterns before entering through the front doors. Though the place had a table fee, Tristen said he'd cover it, for which, Yugi was grateful. Pegasus wouldn't like seeing an Izakaya trip on his expense report. Sitting down in the Koshitsu, or private room, the two removed their shoes and sat cross-legged at the low table when a cute waitress, one Yugi suspected might be younger than the legal age allowed for, greeted them.

"Can I get you anything to start?" She asked.

"Yeah, we'll take a couple waters for now and edamame," Tristen said, "Thanks princess."

The girl blushed, nodded, and bowed before shutting the door, leaving the two alone.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "Do you really think Serenity would like you calling other girls princesses?"

Tristen shrugged, "Probably not, but I call her my queen, so she knows I consider her a step above all the rest. Have you been here before by the way?"

"No, first time," Yugi muttered.

"Alright, well, look over the menu and if you see anything you're dying to order, we'll get that, but I already know my favs at this place," He told his friend.

Yugi nodded, skimming over the menu as he did. Nothing in particular stuck out to him. Though he was a little surprised that Okonomiyaki was on the menu, he didn't think he was hungry enough to finish a whole one...

"Anything?" Tristen asked.

Again, Yugi shrugged, "No, you go ahead and order."

Tristen eyed his friend again as the girl came back with their drinks and edamame, "Anything I can get you?"

"Yeah," Tristen began, "Let's get some Karage, then some Momo, Negima, and Tsukune Yakitori... I'll take some Saba, Hamachi, and Ika Sashimi... And he'll have Okonomiyaki."

"Tristen, I can't finish that..."

"Oh yeah you can," Tristen continued, "Get him extra cheese on it. Oh and no Ika. This guy can't stand Ika."

"That's not true," Yugi said, exasperated, "It's good dried with peanut flavoring..."

The girl smiled, writing down the order, "Anything else?"

"Naw, that will do for now," Tristen said, his eyes not leaving Yugi, even for a second.

The girl vanished again leaving the two alone. Tristen picked up an edamame pod and proceeded to pluck the little beans with his teeth before dropping the remaining husk into the secondary empty bowl.

"Alright, so, what's got you in such a tizzy," He asked, going for another pod, "And also, the only reason you can stand Ika with peanut flavoring is because the peanuts cover up the Ika flavor for the most part. You know that right?"

Yugi grasped his water tightly before deciding to ignore the comment about his dislike of Ika and muttering out his response, "Bakura's back."

"Bakura?" Tristen repeated, "That's great! When did he get in?"

"No, Tristen, it's not great," Yugi interjected.

"Huh? Why not?" Tristen asked, "He's not possessed again, is he?"

In some ways, Yugi was grateful for the fact that his friends really didn't think he was crazy and knew that Bakura had in fact once been possessed by the spirit of an evil entity, but the reality was that since that time, none of them really had spoken with Bakura. Only him. And he'd wished he hadn't.

"No," Yugi said, "He's not possessed again. He's... you know what he did after high school, right?"

Tristen shook his head, "Can't say that I do, no, what?"

"He went into archeology," Yugi supplied.

"Well... isn't that a good thing?" Tristen asked.

"Not... no... ugh," Yugi groaned in frustration as their waitress brought out the Yakitori and Karage.

Tristen, seeing Yugi's annoyance, slowly pulled the skewers away from his friend and closer to himself, "You care to elaborate on your groans?"

"He ruins everything," Yugi explained, "You know, at first, when we were in college, I thought it'd be great, you know? But he just... Bakura doesn't want to preserve artifacts, Tristen. He wants to destroy them."

Tristen finished a skewer with a brow raised, "Wait, isn't that the opposite of what an archeologist does? Why'd he go into archeology then?"

Yugi grabbed a pod of edamame, oddly a little happy that the yakitori had come to distract Tristen from the edamame, thereby leaving him some left over, "It isn't what an archeologist does. That's the point."

"But then why-"

"Because through Archeology, we find the artifacts," Yugi explained, chewing through and devouring a few of the salty green beans that dispersed into his mouth from the pod, "And he wants them gone."

"Why?"

"Because he thinks they're dangerous!" Yugi spat out, tossing an empty pod rather violently into the bowl.

There was a pause in the conversation as Tristen watched Yugi's hands turn into fists on the table and his breathing became heavy. He waited, knowing that was the best thing to do, when Yugi ran a hand through his hair and shook his head with a sigh.

"Yugi," Tristen said slowly, "Are they dangerous?"

Yugi shook his head, "Well, they... that's complicated."

"How, how is that complicated?" Tristen asked, a little annoyed himself now.

"Because it is," Yugi stated, clearly agitated.

The waitress came in with their Okonomiyaki and Sashimi, leaving them alone once again. Yugi looked out the window before casting his gaze back down to the dish in front of him.

"Imagine if the Monsters in Duel Monsters, weren't simply holograms," Yugi began, "Like it was back in Ancient Egypt."

"Well, Kaiba would be put out of business," Tristen stated off-handedly, thinking about the disks that he would repair on the side. They really were a technical marvel.

Yugi glared, "Tristen, this is serious."

"Sorry," Tristen said, sarcastically replying, "Talking about theoretical monsters instead of holographic ones is a very serious conversation indeed."

Yugi's hard gaze continued, "Not funny."

"You know I never try to be," Tristen said with a smile, but it began to fade. He picked up the soy sauce and poured it into a little dish to mix with wasabi, "Go on, though, I'm sorry. So real monsters."

"Yes, real monsters," Yugi said, "Bakura's logic is that those monsters would be dangerous and as the only ways for those monsters to enter our world is through the tablets, then they should be destroyed."

"Seems... kinda logical when you put it that way, Yug," Tristen stated, mixing the green paste.

"But there's currently no way for us to do that, summon them that is," Yugi said, "So for now, all they are, are relics."

"But if they have the potential..."

"They don't! That's just it, they don't," Yugi repeated.

"How do you know that though?" Tristen shot back.

"Because Pegasus has been keen on finding a way to do it for years. He won't say that, ever, but Ishizu and I know that's what he wants to do," Yugi filled in, "He thinks it may lead to a way to revive... his wife."

"Geez, he's still on about that?" Tristen repeated, grabbing a bit of his sashimi and taking a bite.

"Yeah, old goals die hard I guess..."

Tristen sat back and watched as Yugi broke apart his chopsticks and began to pick away at the okonomiyaki in front of him, never bringing a bite to his lips. He'd known Yugi for years. Years and years now. And though he wasn't as close with Yugi as Joey was, Tristen did feel that he could still pick up on some of Yugi's tell-tale signs that he was uncomfortable. After all, Yugi was only uncomfortable when one thing occurred. When there was a chance that something might end a friendship. He'd get quiet and find excuses to not continue a conversation. Change the subject if possible or drop out of the conversation entirely, preferring to let his mind wander to other places instead... like he was right now.

He sighed, pushing the conversation forward, "But how does that prove it's impossible?"

Yugi remained quiet for a moment before speaking, "It doesn't..."

"Then how-"

"Because I've tried!" Yugi admitted, "I've tried and nothing's happened, not once..."

"Yugi, why would you try to-" Tristen stopped mid-sentence as the realization occurred to him, "You were trying to reach Atem that way weren't you?"

It took a moment, but sure enough, Yugi gave a slight nod, "Doesn't matter anyway. It didn't work. Atem likely isn't even in the same realm as the duel monsters. He's in some kind of afterlife realm..."

He began to more recklessly pull away at the okonomiyaki, devouring it, likely more hungry than he had realized. Tristen let the statement rest as a disturbing feeling in his gut mingled with the sashimi now digesting. Was Yugi that reckless in his search for Atem? He was... And he knew it. That's why he'd never mentioned it to any of them, probably. He thought he'd just get chastised for it... and lose them too.

"Yugi..." Tristen started when Yugi looked up, "I don't think Atem would have wanted you to be so stuck on finding him again, especially if you were taking risks like that..."

"You didn't know Atem like I did," Yugi muttered into his food, going in for another bite.

Irked by the statement, Tristen responded, "Bull. He was as much our friend as he was yours."

Yugi looked up glaring at Tristen, " _You_ were not his vessel. You don't know anything about his thoughts or desires."

"Cut that crap," Tristen shot back, a little angry, both at Yugi and himself for not being able to restrain his words better, "You remember when the Orichalcos took your soul? Atem was practically sick with worry over you. He wouldn't want you risking your life to find him."

Yugi played with a bite of his food, running his chopsticks into his food sideways, cutting it into smaller bites, allowing Tristen to continue.

"Look, Yug, I'm sorry, I didn't bring you here to berate you. I get it. We all miss him. And you're right, I didn't know him the way you did..." He trailed off, "So I'm not going to tell you to stop searching for him. But, you know, we care about you just as much as we did Atem; we're all here for you and we're willing to help you. So don't go running off doing dangerous stuff on a whim or without us. We don't want anything to happen to you and Atem doesn't want anything to happen to you either."

Yugi's hand had come to a stop. He placed his chopsticks down and cupped his head in his hands, "I know... I'm sorry..."

"It's fine," Tristen said, picking up another bite of sashimi, "You... didn't tell Tea that you'd been trying that, did you?"

"Huh?" Yugi said, "Oh, no, I didn't tell her..."

"Good, she'd be sent into a worrying tizzy over you if she knew," Tristen told him, thinking about the last time he decided to drag race and Serenity nearly had a heart attack over it, "Back to the original issue though. If there's no way to summon them, then why is it a big deal if Bakura destroys them or not?"

Yugi sighed, "Well... just because there's no way to summon monsters... it doesn't mean there still isn't a clue among them as to how to reach Atem..."

"So if he destroys the tablets... he might destroy any way to reach Atem along with them..."

Yugi nodded, "And what's worse is this whole mess with the Blue Eyes tablet. The dragon's gone. And Kisara's somehow been brought from Kemet and..."

"Hold up, if the Blue Eyes is gone, isn't it possible then that it actually has been summoned?" Tristen interjected.

"I don't know, have you seen a giant white dragon flying around?" Yugi remarked sarcastically.

"Not unless you're referring to Kaiba's jet..."

"Touché," Yugi replied, "But to answer your question, maybe it has been summoned, maybe it hasn't, which complicates everything. The card that we have to play, that it's impossible, might not work anymore..."

Hesitantly, Tristen stated, "But... that's promising for you isn't it?"

Yugi glanced up as Tristen continued, "The tablets obviously act as some kind of portal, then right? Especially if Kisara's connected."

"Yeah, but I still don't know exactly what kind of portal... or how it got opened up. Or why Kisara got pulled through it, if she did..." Yugi explained, "Aside from her looks, there's no definitive connection to her and the Blue Eyes... She doesn't even know what it is."

"Wait, Yugi, speaking of the Blue Eyes, did Joey tell you?" Tristen asked, his memory sparked.

"Tell me what?" Yugi said looking up.

"Your grandpa's Blue Eyes card, the one that Kaiba ripped up, it was on the floor of the game shop the day that you guys found Kisara. I found it while helping Joey clean up a bit," Tristen said.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "No, he didn't tell me that. Where was it exactly?"

"To the right of the doorway from the house if you were going into the game shop," Tristen explained, "Kinda shoved under a cabinet that had been opened."

Yugi's eyes widened, "That's where I found Kisara..."

"Then that means her appearance is definitely connected to the Blue Eyes, the final card must have been the way she got here..." Tristen supplied.

"Yeah... but that still leaves the question as to why and how she's connected..." Yugi said trailing off.

Tristen pondered the question as well, "Have there ever been any descriptions or stories of a girl in regards to the Blue Eyes?"

Yugi shook his head, "No, the only thing written or inscribed about the Blue Eyes was that it remained the loyal guardian of Atem's priest, Seth, till the end of his days."

"Hmm," Tristen thought over what Yugi was saying, when he noticed his friend's frustration, "Yug, is there something else bothering you about this?"

Slowly, Yugi nodded, "I'm wondering... if there's a time limit of some kind. You know the Egyptian games, they always had a catch. There's been no apparent 'catch' other than perhaps Kisara's veiled memories... so that just makes me think there's something else, something we can't see that's running out... like time."

"Atem didn't have a time limit though, did he?" Tristen said.

"No... but it doesn't mean Kisara doesn't. And it doesn't mean I don't. If I can't figure the whole thing out before Bakura and he destroys all of the evidence that would help me do so... it's all in vain," Yugi stated.

"Have you thought about asking him for help?" Tristen asked, "I mean, just because you don't agree on the tablets, doesn't mean he's heartless..."

"You crazy? If he thinks a monster has been summoned, he'll move faster than ever before!" Yugi exclaimed, "Frankly, I'm not even sure why he agreed to work for Pegasus in the first place."

"I don't know, Yug, I think you might be overreacting due to past encounters," Tristen said, the voice of reason coming out.

Yugi nodded, "I know... but... I don't want to lose this game, Tristen."

The waitress came in with the check, which Tristen covered as he mulled over what Yugi had just said. He compared it to a game. Always games. But was it really? The two stood up and exited, Yugi now with a bit more energy after devouring his food. Tristen picked up his helmet before he turned to Yugi who was mounting his bicycle.

"Yug," Tristen said.

Yugi looked over, letting Tristen finish his thought, "Look, I know you're worried about everything, but regardless of if this really is a game or not... you're not going to lose. You never lose. People have to cheat in order to make you lose. And we're all here for you, man. Atem wouldn't want you to go forgetting that."

Yugi let a small smile brush over his face for a moment, "Thanks, Tristen."

"No problem, man," Tristen said, "Say hi to Joey for me."

"Like I'll even get the chance to see him before you do," Yugi said with a half hearted laugh.

"You haven't been seeing him lately?" Tristen asked.

"No, you?"

"No..." Tristen hesitated in putting his helmet on, "Serenity's been worried about him... think she might break his neck or something."

"Wait, what, why?" Yugi questioned.

"He's been messaging and texting and all around harassing her a lot more lately," Tristen explained, "You know, in that big brother way, but still, it's getting on her nerves..."

"I'll talk to him the next time I see him," Yugi said, "He may very well be sleeping on my couch tonight."

"He slept in your bed a few times, you know," Tristen informed Yugi, laughing.

"Yeah, trust me, I could tell," Yugi replied, "He didn't change the sheets."

"Might have had Mai over a couple times now that I think abou- Ow!"

Yugi playfully punched Tristen on the shoulder, "Don't even joke about that."

"Alright, alright," Tristen said, hopping onto his bike, "You get home safe, Yugi."

"You too," Yugi replied.

Tristen nodded, slipped his helmet on and in seconds, the guy was off and out of sight. Yugi sighed, unlocking his bike and pulling it out of the bike rack. Explaining everything to Tristen didn't really help much, but it felt good to get his frustration out. And knowing that Kisara was for sure connected to the Blue Eyes and not some random coincidence was encouraging, even if their only evidence was the card's presence outside of the case. But still... it was convoluted, the whole situation. The one time something happens that could lead him back to Atem... it risks destroying any path there is... and at the same time, involving the safety of another person... He hadn't even mentioned to Tristen his ominous sighting of Shadi the other night, which only further served to confuse him. Despite his urge to scream, Yugi instead let out a sigh and swung his leg over his bike, allowing gravity to begin to push him downhill towards Chuo-koen.

 _"You're not going to lose. You never lose."_

"I hope you're right, Tristen," Yugi muttered to himself, "I hope you're right."

 **-YGO-**

The hot sand whipped against his skin, as though pricking it multiple times before flying away in the midst of time. He slipped through the desert before him, his arms bare against the conditions. The sound of a woman crying met his ears. He turned to see a man ride off and away, never to be seen again. This kind of abandonment was familiar, but different than the sting of death. This was intentional, giving it a bitterness that only nasty medicine could possibly have a shot at replicating. He heard a voice...

"Thank you Set-"

It sounded so familiar... but he couldn't make out who it was. A golden eye bore down at him, making his skin crawl as he stood between it and something precious. He looked back to see whatever it was, but there was nothing there. He felt a panic as he turned back to the eye, which was now part of a decrepit face mere inches from his own. A long ancient fingernail tilted his head up as he found himself bound by surprise.

"You can not defy your destiny, my son."

But this wasn't his father. This wasn't Gozoboro. He'd never seen this man before. Who... And then he heard it. The sound of a massive blast of energy radiating from the other hand of his captor meeting it's target and the mere dread that hit his stomach sent a shock throughout his whole system.

Seto screamed, bolting upright in his bed. He looked around, assessing where he was. In his room, of course. He tried to calm himself and listen, hoping that Mokuba hadn't heard him. After a few moments of silence, he determined that he had slipped past the gates of brotherly concern this time unnoticed. Pulling his knees up to his forehead, Seto folded his arms and breathed deeply, willing his heart to stop pounding. It was a dream. That's all it was. A bad dream. It didn't mean anything. Nothing... He didn't even know who that was... Or what could have been hit...

But whatever it was, it left a deep sickening feeling in his stomach that reached under his skin, tearing at the muscles in his chest and collar. He laid back down, rolling onto his side, his eyes shut as he fervently attempted to logically shoo the feeling away. It seemed that no matter what, the fear of losing, losing anything would plague him. His company, his title, his cards, his money, his brother, his family... as though everyone was so desperate to take away any shots of happiness that he had...

A smile graced his memories and Seto's eyes opened as he sat up once again. He looked around the room. The memory had been so vivid, he almost felt as though someone had to have been right in front of him. But there was no one. And _she_ certainly wasn't there... he blinked a couple of times.

Why would anyone, let alone, Kisara of all people, be in his bedroom?

He shook off the discomfort at the idea, even as the realization settled in his mind that the memory of her smile had calmed him down. Why? What was it about... her? Why did she seem to be able to provide him with that kind of tranquility? He laid back down and stared at the ceiling. This was bad. He couldn't get used to this. Like he had just been contemplating, everything, nearly everything good in his life is taken away and what wasn't, he had to fight for to his very last breath to keep. It had happened too many times and... he didn't think he was willing to add another thing to worry about to the list.

Besides, he couldn't make an exception for an unknown, knowing that one mistake could put everything he'd worked for in his life at risk. And really... he might have scared her off already. After what had happened with Joey... He rolled back into his pillow.

 _There's nothing there. You needn't concern yourself over her. Don't worry about it._

One blue eye opened slightly. The thing was, it certainly _felt_ like something was there. And he couldn't help but worry.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So I actually wrote this a little while back and didn't have the chance to post it. Also at the time, I wasn't very sure how I felt about it as I'm not used to writing so much dialogue. I greatly prefer writing descriptions. Reading it over now though, like I said before, I'm mostly just hungry. Anyway, let me know what you thought of it! And if I don't get the chance to post before the 31st, have a Happy Halloween! :D

Later,

~Rena


	15. Chapter Fifteen: もったいない (Mottainai)

**Disclaimer:** Seriously guys, the joke isn't funny anymore. I own nothing. XD

 **Author's Note:** Helloooooo~~~ How was everyone's Halloween? Hopefully good! I didn't end up doing too much on the day of, but had lots of fun at events surrounding the holiday which was nice. In any case, let's get onto the next chapter though! Enjoy!

 ** _Terms -_**

 _Kabe-don -_ When one person (generally a boy) places a fist on the wall above a second person (generally a girl) who is against said wall. Might be done in defense of the second person, to get the second person's attention, or to reiterate the seriousness of the first person's position on a matter. As it often occurs in manga, it's a bit of a trope to indicate a guy's interest in a girl and many readers find it 'exciting' because the one performing the kabe-don is then clearly serious in their feelings. 'Kabe' means wall and 'don' is a sound used for 'bang'. So literally, it means 'wall-bang'.

Obon - A Japanese Buddhist festival and custom to honor the spirits of the dead, specifically one's ancestors. Dates vary across Japan.

 _USJ -_ Short for "Universal Studios Japan", a popular theme park located in the city of Osaka.

 _Hyaku-en Shop-_ "100 yen shop" - think of a dollar store in terms of price. Very nicely kept with nice products.

Today's Chapter Title means literally "What a waste", often referring to a "waste of time". It's often used as a reason to not be lazy. An example of how it might used would go along something like: 'Sleeping late is really mottainai'.

 **-YGO-**

 _"Rays of light from the stars in the night sky above,_

 _Send a plea from across the ages_

 _With Colors that haven't faded,_

 _It's somebody's cry, reflected in those sparkling eyes_

 _A wish carried on the wind, a request from the moon_

 _To live as fully as possible, day by day_

 _So that our wishes, too, will be in someone's heart someday,_

 _Let's shine on like that star"_

-Asterisk by Orange Range

 **Chapter Fifteen:** **もったいない** **(Mottainai)**

The day was rather hot and muggy, but it always was. What was unusual was the fact that he was kneeling on the ground hidden behind a bush watching his older brother with binoculars. He hadn't done that since he was 12. A ruffling in the bushes alerted him to his companion's boredom.

"When you said spend lunch together, I assumed you meant together at a nice place eating lunch, not in the bushes spying on your brother," Yuzu remarked with a huff, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"I'll get ya lunch, I'll get ya lunch," Mokuba said, "Now shush."

"My parents are going to kill me for this Mokuba!" She cried in hushed tones, "This is coming out of my study time..."

"Don't worry, I'll pay the teachers to give you an extra hour or something to study to make up for it next week," He told her.

"Pay off the teachers?" She repeated, "Have you done that before?"

"Plenty of times," Mokuba said, "Seto normally just gives them a weekly sum since he takes me out so often... or well, he was until recently."

"Wait have _you_ paid off your teachers or does your brother do it?" She asked for clarification.

"Nii-sama does, but it's the same difference," He elaborated.

"Mokuba..." She whined.

"Don't worry about it and just shush," Mokuba told her.

"How did you even know he would be here?" Yuzu asked, "Didn't you say you didn't know what he was doing for lunch these days? Do you have a tracker on him or something?"

Mokuba brought down his binoculars and grinned.

 **-YGO-**

It had all started early that Monday morning. School was out for Obon that week and he had expected to spend the whole day with his brother. They'd likely end up at KaibaCorp, but Mokuba was fine with that. It had just been too long since they had actually had some quality time together, that wherever they went didn't matter to him. He practically jumped down the flights of stairs to meet his brother in the dining room where Seto was already devouring toast while reading the news off of his phone.

"Morningggggg, Nii-sama," Mokuba said in a happy go lucky voice as he sat down and grabbed some eggs and a rice ball or two off of the dishes in front of them.

"You're awfully loud this morning," Seto commented, not looking up from his phone.

"Well, it's Obon," Mokuba replied, "No school means we get the whole day to do whatever! You want to hit up Kaiba Land maybe? Or go to USJ or swim or something?"

"Can't, got work today," Seto answered, still not tearing his eyes from his phone.

"Oh..." Mokuba found himself a little disappointed, but again, KaibaCorp was fine, "Well, what time do you want to leave? I literally have the whole day free so-"

"So why don't you call over some of your friends and all go to Kaiba Land together?" Seto asked, "They'd love it."

"Huh?"

"I've gotta run," Seto said getting up.

Picking up his briefcase and slinging his jacket over his shoulder, he ruffled Mokuba's bed head before making his way swiftly out the door. It took Mokuba a second to realize what had just happened. Had Seto really... just ditched him for the day? Instantly, he got up from his seat and ran out to follow Seto.

"Wait, Seto, why don't you come? Or I can come with you," Mokuba said, following him.

"I told you Mokuba, I have work and you should be enjoying your time off," Seto said.

"But Nii-sama, we haven't seen each other in forever," Mokuba said, now walking beside his brother.

"We're seeing each other right now," Seto remarked.

"Not the same thing, Nii-sama," He said.

Seto picked up the keys to the McLaren, now back from the shop, "Just stay out of trouble today."

Mokuba stood there for a moment aghast. He WAS blowing him off. Right as Seto's hand reached for the door handle he felt himself getting tackled from behind in a giant hug.

"Mokuba, what are you doing?" He asked, clearly perturbed by his brother's sudden desire to engage in acts of adoration... or annoyance. It was one or the other.

"Can't I give you a hug goodbye?" Mokuba asked as Seto pushed him off.

"Yeah, when you were eleven," Seto answered, eyeing Mokuba with scrutiny.

"Come on, can't we even have lunch today?" Mokuba asked.

"No, I have meetings," Seto answered, pulling the car door open and getting inside.

"You've had lunch meetings every day for the last week!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"And they're still happening, Mokuba," Seto said, slamming the door shut, "Just go have fun. I'll see you for dinner."

With that, he hit the ignition and drove off, leaving Mokuba behind in the dust. Mokuba coughed, attempting to get a clear breath of air. When he brought his arm down, which had been up in defense of the dust that had risen, he was smiling though. Pulling a little screen out of his pocket, he saw his tracker taking effect. If Seto wasn't going to tell him what was going on and wasn't going to hang out with him when he literally had the whole day off, then Mokuba was going to figure it out and tag along, whether Seto wanted him to or not.

 **-YGO-**

"So you hugged your brother to place a tracker on him?"

"Yes."

"That's insane."

"Yeah, sure."

"How did he not notice?"

"I stuck it on his briefcase," Mokuba told her, "Looks just like any of the other screws holding it together."

"Why did you even have a tracker in your pocket anyway?"

"Because I wasn't about to let Nii-sama get away with stiffing me for a week of lunches."

"Oh grow up, Natto isn't that bad for you..." Yuzu said rolling her eyes, remembering the last week in which Mokuba had complained about school lunches.

"I don't care about the Natto, I care about the fact that something's been going on with Seto and I intend to find out what," Mokuba told her.

Yuzu let the silence hang in the air before commenting, "Then why didn't you eat the Natto?"

"Shhhhh!" Mokuba told her.

Adjusting his binoculars, Mokuba watched as his brother looked up from his phone, his stance straightening. Mokuba followed his brother's gaze and what he saw nearly made him fall into the thorny entanglement of bushes.

"What the- is he-"

Across the way, Seto adjusted his tie as the white haired girl came up to him. He felt what could have been a yoke upon his shoulders suddenly seem lighter, as though gone, but not entirely, not yet.

"Kisara," He said.

"Seto, hi," She replied with a smile on her face, "It's good to see you."

He nodded, "You as well."

They both stood there awkwardly as Mokuba and Yuzu watched from the bushes, Yuzu far less interested than her counterpart, who one might think was currently waiting on reconstructive surgery for his jaw. Kisara grabbed her arm awkwardly as though there was something she wanted to say and Seto cleared his throat.

"Well, uh, the usual place?" Seto asked.

Kisara nodded and they began to stroll off towards the city streets. Mokuba strained from his position to see where they were going while Yuzu watched a colony of ants file along towards their little nest.

"Come on," He said, grabbing her wrist.

"Huh?"

Dodging in and out behind people and things, Mokuba and Yuzu followed at about 25 meters behind his older brother. He would have gone closer, but was afraid of being outed right then and there. The fact that this was apparently 'usual' was enough to restrain his impulses as if it was indeed 'usual', he wanted it to stay that way.

Ahead, he could see as Seto and Kisara waited to cross the street towards Italiano's. Kisara looked down at the watch on her wrist, debating on how to bring up what happened last Friday, but like most of the weekend, nothing came. Glancing up, she saw an office window with photos of planes and far away lands that she never knew possible. Some with ancient buildings, others with spires sticking into the air as though defying gravity. And some with beautiful sands against crystal blue waters. Finally, her eyes moved to fiery designs in the mountains, the same that she had seen on TV on Saturday, along with red and orange stands, people in yukata eating various colored foods and fireworks.

"Seto... what is that exactly?" She asked, pointing to the image.

Seto found himself pulled out of his thoughts and glanced over, "Obon. It's starting this week."

"Will our mountains be a-light like that?" She asked.

"No, that's only in Kyoto. They go all out for Obon," Seto elaborated.

"Oh..." She said, when the light turned green.

They made their way up to Italiano's, taking their normal table. Kisara knew what she'd get. The same thing as always. But her fingers still gripped the menu rather tightly as her nerves got the better of her. She'd never seen Seto as angry as he had been with Joey. And even though Tea had told her it was probably fine, she still felt guilt over the whole ordeal. At the entrance of the restaurant, Mokuba and Yuzu made their way up, Yuzu slightly happier at the prospect of possibly getting food.

"How many?"

"Two, with a view on those two," Mokuba said, gesturing over to his brother and Kisara. When they waitress eyed him suspiciously, he continued, "He's my brother."

The waitress did her best to not roll her eyes as she picked up two menus and placed Mokuba and Yuzu at a booth diagonal from Kisara and Seto, with Mokuba keeping his back to Seto and allowing Yuzu a full on view.

"What are they doing?" He said in hushed tones.

"Looking over the menu, like I want to be doing," Yuzu said, opening up her own and scanning the items.

"Do you have a hand mirror?" Mokuba asked.

Yuzu put down her menu in annoyance, glaring at Mokuba, before he gave her one of his famous puppy dog faces. Sighing, she pulled out a small cheap looking hyaku-en shop one that was scratched on the outside, but fine upon snapping it open.

"Thanks," Mokuba said, trying to angle it at his brother.

Yuzu rolled her eyes, "You're welcome. You can thank me by buying me lunch."

"You can have whatever you want," Mokuba said, his attention still on his brother.

Yuzu repressed a giggle and instead smugly smirked as she continued her search over the menu. After Seto and Kisara had placed their orders, an awkward silence followed. Normally, Kisara would ask Seto about his day, how it was going, what they would practice that day, how his brother was, etc., but she seemed hesitant to speak. Looking anywhere but at her, Seto half wondered why the silence was actually bothersome to him. Because something was off? Did she think less of him after Friday's incident? And what did he care if she did? He mentally cursed himself as he realized the idea seemed to tug at his ability to concentrate immensely. It didn't matter. It didn't matter. After all, she had come, hadn't she? That should have aleived all of his worries... Worries. He was worried. As the revelation hit him though, he was cast out of his thoughts and back into the present by her voice.

"Um, Seto?"

"Hm?"

"Uh, I wanted to apologize for Friday. I really hope I didn't make you feel obligated to take responsibility for my tardiness," Kisara said, almost muttering the words into her lap.

Seto's eyes widened. She was the one apologizing?

"And I didn't realize that you and Joey... I didn't get the extent of your mutual dislike of one another. I'm sorry," She said.

She waited. He was quiet. Finally, words came to him, "You... didn't make me feel obligated to do anything."

Her eyes cast up to his and he awkwardly swallowed before continuing, "I... I just felt like it was what I should do. "

Mokuba's eyes widened as Kisara continued the conversation, "Well, uh, thank you, and I'm sorry for the trouble."

Seto shook his head, "It was no trouble. You don't have to apologize. If anything I..."

Seto stopped as their eyes met again. Mokuba had to keep himself from freaking out as he watched his brother finish, "I should be the one apologizing. Wheeler just... gets under my skin... in the worst way."

Kisara nodded, "Yeah, I could tell... Again, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. Things happen," Seeing her apologetic look felt like a stab wound, something he had to stop right away. As what only could be his nerves got the better of him, he decided to ask what seemed to be bothering him in the back of his mind, thinking it was just best to get it out in the open, "I... didn't scare you or anything, did I?"

"Huh?" Kisara found herself unprepared for the question, but answered, "Oh, uh, not... no. I got scared that you guys were going to get in a fist fight or something, but... I guess I just didn't want either of you getting hurt."

"Oh... well... thanks, I guess..." Seto said, unsure of how to respond to the concern.

Kisara pulled the corners of her lips back and ran a finger through her hair behind her ear, "You're welcome..."

"So... we're good?" Seto asked, unsure if his phrasing was correct.

"Yeah, if you think so, I mean," She responded.

"Yeah..." He trailed off, before clearing his throat and letting their waitress bring them their drinks.

"So, uh," Kisara began, "How was your weekend then?"

Seto shrugged, thankful that the awkwardness seemed to be passing, "Uneventful. Your's?"

"Um, I worked on Saturday, but... I slept in a lot on Sunday. Tea called it... 'Mottainai'," She admitted, blushing, "Did you spend time with your brother?"

"Not really, I made him study. He has this whole week off for Obon and knowing him, he's going to slack off. Figured I'd get him to study while I could," Seto said.

Yuzu snorted in laughter as an audible expression of insult escaped Mokuba's mouth before he could restrain himself. Luckily, neither of the two adults noticed.

"Are you doing anything special for Obon?" Kisara asked.

Seto shrugged, "Probably not. It's the same every year here anyway. Very 'Mottainai'."

"Oh..." Kisara said trailing off.

Mokuba watched in horror as his brother idiotically threw away what he saw as a perfect opportunity for him to spend more time with Kisara. Furiously, he brought out his phone and sent a text to his brother. Across the way, Seto felt the buzz and saw it was from his brother, but ignored it. Mokuba watched on in aggravation.

"Hey," Mokuba whispered.

"You ready to order?" Yuzu asked.

"No, I need you to deliver a note to Seto," Mokuba told her.

"What?" She hissed back, "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Grab one of those waitress aprons and go bring them fresh water or something," Mokuba responded.

"You crazy, I'm not gonna-"

"I'll get you passes into Kaiba Land for a month."

"Make it two."

"Two plus dinner for two."

"Am I expected to bring you to that dinner?"

"No, but it would be a shame if you didn't," Mokuba quipped as he finished the note he had quickly scribbled onto a napkin.

Yuzu glanced between Mokuba, the apron, and the target table, finally coming back to look Mokuba directly in the face. A funny smile slid onto her face, but stood up.

"Fine," She said, grabbing the note and flawlessly, as though she worked there, picked up the apron and slipped it over her front along with picking up two waters waiting and ready for new diners.

Mokuba turned his attention back to the two off to his right. He'd missed part of the conversation, but he quickly leaned back in his seat to try to melt right back into.

"...can remember what's in your graveyard, you can handle a duel disk just fine," Seto remarked, "They're really not as intimidating as they look."

Duel Disk?

Kisara shrugged, "Well, maybe I'll try it once if I get the chance. But I'm really not sure I could handle a large scale duel..."

"More water, sir," Yuzu said.

"I didn't ask for-" But Yuzu had already shoved the water into his hand before he could even realize and then mention that she wasn't their waitress.

Kisara took hers without complaint, but Seto immediately noticed the blue ink seeping onto his hand from the napkin the glass had been wrapped in. Carefully, he pulled his palm back to reveal the note to himself alone.

 _"Ask her to go to Gozan no Okuribi with you!"_

Seto's eyes widened. The writing was smudged, but he was about 97% certain he knew that handwriting. Discreetly, so as not to alert Kisara, he glanced around until he saw their 'waitress' sitting down and a hand opposite her waving a card shaped locket to the side. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the identical piece of jewelry that he wore around his own neck under his Bespoke suit.

"Uh... Kisara," He said, "I'm going to use the restroom. Feel free to start without me if our food comes."

"Oh... okay..."

Smoothly, Seto stood up with his briefcase and began to make his way towards the bathroom, past the 'waitress's table. Using his left hand, he underhandedly motioned for Mokuba to follow him. Waiting a moment to make sure Kisara wouldn't see him, Mokuba got up and followed his brother smoothly. Upon opening the door to the restroom, he only had a half second to glance around before Seto slammed his hand against the wall behind the younger.

"What. Are. You. _Doing?!_ " Seto hissed.

Mokuba looked up at his brother's hand, "Oh Kabe-don, niceeeee."

"This is serious, Mokuba, what are you doing here. How did you even-"

"Can't I give you a hug goodbye..." Mokuba said in a high pitched whine.

"You didn't..."

"I honestly can't believe you didn't catch that one," Mokuba said, rolling his eyes.

"Leave," Seto demanded.

"Heck no!" Mokuba told him, "You're terrible at this Nii-sama."

"Terrible at what?"

"And by the way, thanks for not telling me that your meetings have been lunch dates all week."

Seto backed off flabbergasted, "They're not lunch-"

"Yeah yeah, I'm really hurt by that you know."

"Why would you-"

"Now, back to the original point, take her to Gozan no Okuribi!"

"Are you insane, that's all the way out in Kyoto," Seto shot, "Why would I take her-"

"Because you've got it bad."

"Wha-"

"You've got it bad for her, Nii-sama," Mokuba clarified.

"I-" Seto found himself fumbling with his words, "I do not."

Mokuba laughed, going on to mimic his brother, "Oh come on, ' _I should be the one apologizing.' 'Don't be sorry.' 'It's not your fault.' 'Things happen.'_ And ditching lunch with your favorite brother for a week?"

"I, I was being chivalrous," Seto said quickly, a lump stuck in his throat.

"Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why would you, Seto Kaiba, decide to be 'chivalrous' to anyone?" Mokuba questioned his older brother.

"I-" Seto found himself unable to answer, instead now looking at the titled grooves in the floor as though their maze could lead him to an answer.

But there was none that he could discern, "It's because you like her."

Seto glanced up at his brother, a look of puzzlement that Mokuba had only seen a few times, namely after Yugi had beaten him in a duel, beset on his countenance, "I... I don't like her, Mokuba. I just made a promise at the onsen to teach her how to play Duel Monsters."

"Fine, you don't 'like' her," Mokuba said, placing 'like' in quotation marks with his fingers, and choosing to not get excited over the fact that Seto was teaching her duel monsters, "But you like being around her, because if you didn't, this wouldn't be... what, day six of the lessons then? And you know, you're always telling me to do things with my friends for Obon and Halloween and other holidays. Why don't you do that for yourself for a change?"

"Because it's-"

"It's what; it's 'mottainai'?" Mokuba asked, "Then why do you tell me to do it?"

"Because you can afford to-"

"And you can't?" Mokuba questioned back, "The richest guy in all of Domino City can't take a day off to go to Kyoto with a friend? You know, you're always telling me to make the most out of life. Why can't you do the same for once? Just take some time to enjoy life."

Seto was quiet. He often took for granted that his brother was indeed a Kaiba (a mistake he was making much too often this past month it seemed). He pulled the door open a crack and glanced out at the restaurant. From where he was, he could just barely see the silvery white head of hair anxiously glancing around and watching passers by, waiting for him to return. For some reason, he felt a pang of guilt leaving her alone. The door slid shut.

"Obon is a useless holiday though. It's the same every year. Why would I ask to see something I've already seen before, and for a useless tradition of honoring the dead no less," Seto snapped, his hint of disdain for the dead apparent in his attempt to dodge the barrage of questions and logic from his brother.

But Mokuba wasn't one to be derailed, "You've seen it, sure. And you might not want to honor the dead, but you know, she has probably never seen it before and it's a spectacular site, no?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'spectacular'..." Seto started before being interrupted.

"So instead of doing it to honor the dead, do it for her. So that she can experience it and enjoy life to the fullest, like you always say you should do. Think of it as a gift or something," Mokuba told him, repressing the urge to tell him he should do the same.

"A gift?" Seto repeated, "Why..."

"Because it would make her smile," Mokuba said, looking his brother dead in the eye.

The brothers' gaze was followed by a pause as Seto contemplated how to react to that statement. It would make her smile. What did he care if she smiled... The thought of it came to his mind and the memory of the past weekend's dream. And a warmth, that gently nudged itself around his core, kindly, carefully. He glanced at the door, beyond which sat the girl who was, albeit knowingly, providing him with that... he shut his eyes and mentally cursed himself. This was the exact opposite of what he had told himself he'd do...

"Fine," He said, "But it's really not that spectacular."

Mokuba smiled, "Yeah, that's because she's far more spectacular, isn't she?"

Seto rolled his eyes. Already Mokuba was being a pest about this, as Seto knew he would be. He'd show Mokuba what was spectacular. Pulling the door open, Mokuba left the bathroom happily, after which, five seconds later, Seto did the same. Ahead he could see his brother taking his seat in what was apparently now the audience and he swallowed. Great. Just great.

Kisara sighed, finding her fingers mindlessly braiding her long hair like Tea had taught her. She liked braids and she was getting good at them. What's more, they prevented her from needlessly fiddling with her nails or napkins when she was nervous. It was odd, the longer Seto was away, the more jittery she got, despite the fact that mere moments ago, he had been the cause for her worries. As she wrapped her fingers around her hair, she found a strand got stuck in the hinge of the watch. The watch... she had forgotten about the watch!

"Kisara?"

She jumped, dropping the strands of hair that she had been braiding and allowing more hair to get stuck in the hinge.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Seto asked, coming around the side.

"Oh, no, sorry, I just, agh," Kisara worked to pull out her hair from the watch, "Ugh, this hair... sorry, I, ugh, I should really just cut it. It's not really practical, is it? Tea said it would look really pretty short."

"It already does," Seto said, sitting down.

She glanced up at him and suddenly Seto realized what had come out of his mouth. She paused her motions as he sat down opposite her, fighting the natural reaction that came with admitting something so... superficial... "I mean, it's your hair, you should do what you want with it."

"Oh..."

Seto found himself unsure of how to continue the conversation when Kisara did it for him as she pulled out the last bits of her hair from the hinge, "Well, um, uh, I meant to say something earlier, but -"

"Kisara," Seto said suddenly, "Have you... I take it you've never been to Kyoto... have you?"

"I... no... why?"

"Well... uh, Mokuba just texted me and... long story short, he wants me out of the house on the 16th and due to the holiday, KaibaCorp Headquarters is under renovation and... well, that's the day of Gozan no Okuribi and... I mean, I'm not really too interested, but... it would be better than staying in Domino during the festivities and... anyway, would you... like to join me, like on a day trip out there? As friends?" Seto asked.

Kisara sat there, stunned and surprised as a long silence followed. Mokuba pulled at his hair in frustration. AS FRIENDS?! THAT'S NOT WHAT HE HAD IMPLIED! But while the silence was torture for Mokuba, it was like a death sentence for Seto, who felt like he was turning white as the blood seeped out of his head. He hated this... why was he being so incredibly clumsy... He'd kill Mokuba for this.

"My apologies, that was random," Seto said, "I just..."

"Yes."

"Hm?"

"I'd love to go," Kisara said meekly, "But uh... I don't think I can afford the trip..."

Seto sat back, rolling his shoulders back and looking anywhere but at her as once more a blush started to come to his face that he attempted to repress, "Well, it will be my treat."

"Oh I can't..."

"You can think of it as a celebration of... I don't know, understanding all of the basic concepts of Duel Monsters," Seto filled in, not allowing her to deny his offer... yet anyway.

"But that doesn't have anything to do with Duel Monsters," Kisara laughed.

"But you want to go... right?" Seto asked, glancing at her, as if eye contact would drive her away from saying yes, when the realization that he wanted her to say yes hit him.

While Seto panicked in his head over the implications of that desire, Kisara looked at him, surprised, before giving a slight nod and letting him continue, albeit his mouth becoming drier as the conversation went on, "Then who cares what the reason is? Besides, you'd get out of this town and don't you want to see more in this world than just Domino?"

Kisara watched as Seto crossed his arms and leaned back into the booth seat. See more of the world... She pressed her lips together thinking over his words, before coming to a calm, smooth answer, despite her heart beating frantically in her chest.

"Yes."

"Well... good. Because you deserve that..." Seto said, once again fumbling his words, "So let me treat you. Next time, you can treat me... or something."

"I..." Kisara started, holding a hand up for a moment, baffled by his words and scared at the prospect of owing Seto Kaiba anything, when she slowly submitted to a quiet instinct to rescind the action, "O...kay..."

Seto's brows shot up in surprise and he looked her dead in the eye, "Really?"

Kisara hesitantly, then with full commitment, nodded, a sweet smile gracing her features, "Yeah. I'll go with you."

Just that one smile dilapidated any barrier that Seto had prepared prior to now and again, that warmth hit him. He glanced to the table before swallowing and attempting to go on as though this was a normal business meeting, "Well... alright then. What's your address then? I'll come pick you up at 10."

As his older brother pulled out his phone, Mokuba leaned back into the booth, grinning from ear to ear as he whispered under his breath, "Yessssssss!"

Yuzu rolled her eyes, and took a sip of her chocolate shake, "You know, you have the dopiest look on your face right now."

Mokuba sat up and picked up a spoon, "You think it's adorable."

He scooped a spoonful of the shake into his spoon when he felt the spoon jerked up, landing the full scoop into his face. The younger of the Kaiba brothers blinked a bit, before licking what he could off of his face and, with a sigh, grabbing a towel they had used before to wipe their hands upon sitting down. Yuzu giggled.

"You're right, you are adorable," She said, a mischievous smile on her face.

Mokuba smiled with a shrug, "It's how I've lived for this long."

Yuzu scooped some more of her shake up and held it out for him. Mokuba eyed it skeptically as she told him, "Keep telling yourself that."

Flashing a dashing white grin at her, Mokuba opened his mouth allowing for Yuzu to feed him the brain freeze of goodness. If having a chocolate shake splatter in his face was the payment needed to get his brother on a date (or a friend outing), so be it. Every spoonful was worth it.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** Soooooo… what did you think? Let me know! In the meantime, I'll work on getting the next chapter up. Honestly surprised I got this one up when I did - life has been so hectic lately and with the rest of the holidays around the corner, I feel like I'm prepping for a siege from the north! Anywho, have a wonderful day and let me know what you thought in reviews! If I don't update before then, Happy Thanksgiving!

Later,

~Rena


	16. Chapter Sixteen: のぞみ (Nozomi)

**Disclaimer:** It's December already? When did that happen? Better question, why do I still own nothing?

 **Author's Note:** Christmas is finally here, it's time to celebrate~~~ sorry, I'll stop singing Christmas tunes. Weird editing this as it's so cold outside and the weather in this story is so… not haha. I had some reservations with this chapter - not sure how I felt about it at first. But I feel better about it now, even though it's rather long. I also had fun looking at all the nice fancy accessories and brands for Seto. Something about a finely dressed man is kinda great, no? Lastly, finally happy to finally use what in my head has been the theme song for this story in beginning of the chapter (suggested by the amazing HikariMokubasGuardian). Just fyi, haha. Anyway, onto the story!

 _ **Terms -** _

_Matsuri_ \- A Festival

 _Shinkansen_ \- Translated as "Bullet Train", but literally means "New (tree) Truck Line" (funny lol, idk why trunk... I guess the tubes look like tree trunks but whateves). The Shinkansen are currently the fastest trains in the world.

 _Kendama_ \- Traditional Japanese toy

 _Hikikomori_ \- A societal recluse that shuts themselves inside their homes and away from society for extended periods of time, often months. Reasons for this vary, including psychological conditions, feelings of an inability to face societal standards or meet expectations, etc. In Japan, people treat Hikikomori with varying degrees of attitudes. In this chapter, Seto is taking a very negative, belittling attitude of "stop feeling sorry for yourself" towards Hikikomori - this is not representative of the Japanese as a whole at all and is more representative of Seto's character/personality.

 _Eki_ \- Station

 _Sen_ \- In this context, it means "Train line"

 _Domino Eki_ \- Fictionalized train line that I based off of Tokyo Station

 _Higashi-Domino Sen_ \- Fictionalized train line that I based off of the Keihin Tohoku Line in Tokyo.

 _Unagi_ \- Eel

 _Maglev_ \- The newest of the Shinkansen models. Maglev operates by essentially levitating and accelerating the train cars above the tracks using electromagnetic technology. Several test runs have been accomplished though I'm not sure where they are currently in terms of usage by the public.

 _Wearing surgical masks_ \- Done in not just Japan, but also Korea along with some other Southeast Asian countries. Most often used to avoid spreading or catching germs, it's now starting to be used as a fashion statement, with decorated designs on the masks. Sometimes celebrities will wear these to go out in public to avoid being spotted.

Today's chapter title literally means "Dream". In the context of the chapter, it refers to the fastest trains on the Tokaido Bullet Train line which run from Tokyo to Osaka, stopping only in major cities like Kyoto.

 **-YGO-**

 _"She said, where'd you wanna go?_

 _How much you wanna risk?_

 _I'm not looking for somebody_

 _With some superhuman gifts,_

 _Some superhero,_

 _Some fairytale bliss,_

 _Just something I can turn to,_

 _Somebody I can kiss,_

 _I want something just like this,_

 _I want something just like this."_

-"Something Just Like This" by the Chainsmokers and Coldplay

 **Chapter Sixteen:** ** **のぞみ**** ( ** **Nozomi**** **)**

Tea woke up the morning of the 16th to the sound of running water coming from the shower. Rubbing a hand over one bleary eye, she reached with the other for her phone to see it was a little after 9. She didn't have class today and considering how busy her week had been, sleeping was all she really wanted to do for once. Before setting her phone back down, she lazily typed out a text.

"U coming to the festival today? :)"

She then dropped her phone back to the side and rolled over away from the window, where light was steadily threatening to stream into her face. The sound of a hair dryer going off was the next interruption, but as she brought her pillow over her head to drown it out, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Tea, it's Joey."

"What do you want, Joey?" She asked through half dead lips.

"Well, I was on my way to the game shop and was wondering if you were going to the festival in the park, 'cause if so, I'd stop by," He related to her.

Tea sighed and looked at her phone to see if there was a text message. There was none. She frowned a bit.

"Uh... I mean, I was, but I wasn't planning on leaving so soon... was thinking of getting into my yukata and everything, but I might not... I don't know..." She trailed off.

"Ah, well, uh, I can wait outside your door?" Joey asked, "I really don't have much of anything to do since the shop's closed today, so..."

Tea could tell Joey was bored. The real question to her was why he was up so early anyway, "Fine, you can come over."

"Cool, see you in half an hour."

"Okay..."

She hit the end call button and dug her head back into her pillow. The sound of the sliding door from the bathroom opening hit her and she sighed. Rest didn't seem to be something she would be getting.

"Um, Tea?"

"Hm?" She rolled over to see Kisara kneeling next to her in a towel.

"Uh, sorry, but uh, I was wondering... do you have anything that would be really good for walking today? But also nice?" Kisara asked.

Tea rolled over and got to her knees to stretch, "Um... probably, we can look through my closet... let me brush my teeth and get ready..."

"Uh, Tea..."

"Huh?"

"I kinda need to be ready by 10," Kisara told her.

"Eh, why?" Tea asked.

"I'm, uh... going to Kyoto today," Kisara explained.

Tea looked up at her oddly as a silence permeated the room, finally blinking a few times and speaking, "Kisara, the matsuri is at Chuo-Koen, by the game shop."

"I know, I'm, uh... I have different plans today... sorry," She said hesitantly.

"In Kyoto?"

Kisara nodded. Tea looked at the ground as she stood up and headed for the kitchen. Stretching again, she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Kisara followed after her.

Tea then froze as a thought occurred to her still slow working mind, "Wait... what? I thought... I mean, didn't you say that money was tight?"

"Uh... it is but... I'm not paying for myself to go..." Kisara said, her shoulders scrunching up in nervousness.

Tea's eyes finally opened to their full capacity and she eyed Kisara oddly, "Well, if you're not paying for it, who is?"

Kisara rubbed her arm awkwardly, "Uh... Seto Kaiba?"

Tea choked a bit on the water in her mouth as it awkwardly made its way down her throat.

"Tea, are you okay?" Kisara asked in a panic.

Swallowing and forcing the water down her throat and not her trachea, Tea nodded before speaking, "Seto Kaiba?!"

Kisara nodded again, "Yeah, he asked if I'd join him today. His brother is apparently kicking him out of the house today and-"

"Wait, wait, it's going to just be you two?"

"I... think so...?" Kisara answered.

"Like, a date?" Tea asked, a sudden urgency in her voice.

"A what?"

Tea rolled her eyes, "You know, like when a guy likes a girl so he courts her? They must have had something like that in Kemet, right?"

Kisara thought for a moment, "Um... not... really... maybe? I don't know..."

Tea sighed, "Well, today when a guy likes a girl he doesn't give her father a cow or a goat or whatever. He asks her to join him on 'dates' and he takes her to nice restaurants and pays for her food and they do fun things together and he does this hoping to win her affections."

Kisara mulled over the new information, with a hint of panic hitting her chest. She had wondered what Seto's intentions had been since Monday. They had met yesterday as well, only mentioning today at the end when he informed her that he'd see her at 10. But was this really a date? He'd never paid for her at the restaurant and they had merely practiced Duel Monsters. So those couldn't be considered dates, but he was paying for her here...

"But... uh, Tea, how would I know for sure if this is a date?" She asked.

"Did he say the word date?" Tea asked in response.

"Uh, no..." Kisara answered, "But he said he'd treat me..."

Tea brought her hands up to her face and growled in frustration, "Typical. Idiots the load of them. Boys never can just muster up the courage to ask 'Will you go on a date with me?' It's always like deciphering code of some kind..."

Kisara's eyes widened, "So wait... this could be... I mean, he said as friends so..."

"He said friends?" Tea repeated, after which Kisara nodded. Tea thought it over, "Well... normally I'd say no then, technically this wouldn't be a date... but... Kaiba never uses the word 'friends'... so... but Kaiba... Seto freakin' Kaiba..."

Kisara waited for Tea to try to decode and translate this new information in her head. As she did, her stomach seemed to be rearranging itself inside her, knotting itself up in something unrecognizable. Win her affections... courting... that couldn't possibly be it... Could it? It wasn't until Tea had moved past her towards the closet that Kisara was pulled out of her own thoughts.

"Well, regardless, let's look for some good clothes..." Tea said, "I mean... Kisara, do you... want this to be a date?"

The question hit Kisara like a car going at 100 km per hour, "Huh? Oh, uh..."

Tea waited, paused at her closet for Kisara's answer, which seemed muddled in her mind. Finally, she answered, a bit of blush coming to her face, "I... I guess it would be nice... but... if it isn't, it's okay..."

Tea watched as her roommate tugged a bit at a strand of her hair that was in front of her. She wasn't sure if Kisara even realized it or had admitted it to herself, but Tea could tell there was a front of some kind being put up. She had a terrible poker face. Knowing her own dilemma when it came to Yugi and seeing Kisara's obvious front of 'not caring', she could only sumize that Kisara, whether she fully knew it or not, probably did like Kaiba in some way... somehow. That thought was enough in and of itself to be surprising. That someone could like Kaiba. Then again, he wasn't a bad guy or heartless (she hoped), just very stuck up and egotistical.

She heard her phone beep and picked it up.

"Yes, I have the night off. :)"

Tea beamed. Alright, so maybe she didn't have a great poker face at times either. Opening her closet, she saw her yukata folded up on the shelf. She momentarily debated whether or not she should let Kisara wear it, but then discarded the idea. A yukata in Kyoto, while cute, wouldn't allow for much in terms of walking and Kyoto had a lot of hills... A skirt caught her eye.

"Well, I think I have just the thing..." She began with a smile.

 **-YGO-**

His first knock at the door had been met with a "You're waiting out there!" call. The second one, five minutes later, was met with a "We're coming, we're coming, just wait!". The third was responded to with a "Joey so help me...", which was enough of a message for the game shop manager to take a hint and chill. Leaning against the wall next to the apartment door, he took out a Kendama and began to try his hand at getting past the second stage of the toy, which he insisted to anyone who asked him that it was far superior then those new fidget spinners which admittedly, did nothing but spin. At least with these, he could practice some hand eye coordination and gain some bragging rights.

At about four to 10 though, the door nearly slammed right into him as the girls opened the door. Correction, girl. As his muscles relaxed, now knowing he wasn't about to face a barrage of physical injuries, Joey found his jaw dropping just slightly lower than it normally would.

"Oh my gosh, Joey, I'm so sorry, I didn't hit you, did I?"

Joey found himself tongue tied. His employee, normally dressed in a nice white button up and plaid pencil skirt, looked up at him wearing a flowy knee-length bright mint green skirt, her signature blue flats, and a pink blouse. Some of her hair was braided up in a crown on her head, while the rest flowed down behind her adjacent to a small light blue purse over her shoulder. In a simple phrase, it was adorably angelic.

"Uh... no, no, I'm fine," He said, stuffing the Kendama back into his bag, which was slung over one of his shoulders, "You uh... is Tea coming?"

"Oh, uh, she's still getting dressed," Kisara relayed, "I think she wants you to wait out here. I'll see ya later though, okay!"

It took a moment for Joey to realize that Kisara was leaving, but when he did, the question had to be asked, "Wait, you're not coming with us?"

Kisara stopped about five steps down the staircase to look up at him, "Oh, no. I'm going to Kyoto today."

"Kyoto?" Joey repeated, "How? And with who? You look like you're... uh... trying to impress someone or something..."

"Huh?" Kisara asked, "Oh, the hair is too much, isn't it? I think Tea just likes to try out things on pinterest sometimes."

As Kisara moved to undo it, Joey stepped down towards her, "Wait, no, I didn't say you had to do that. I just meant... well, you look really pretty today."

"Oh..." His employee's fingers stopped in their tracks, allowing the braid to remain, "Thank you, Joey."

Joey felt a blush coming to him and rubbed a hand behind the back of his neck, "Ha, no problem. But back to the original question, you're not coming with us?"

"Not today, I have plans with..." Kisara opened her mouth to continue, but suddenly found herself tongue tied, despite knowing that she really had to answer now.

"With..." Joey filled in, a bit of concern seeping into his tone.

"Uh, with Seto..." Kisara finally managed, biting the inside of her lip as she waited for Joey to respond, which seemed to take ages.

But eventually he spoke, "Kaiba? Why?"

"He, uh, he invited me to join him for the day..." Kisara said, trailing off.

"Like a date?" Joey asked.

"Um... I really don't know... he didn't exactly specify. He just said as friends..." Kisara told him.

Joey's brow furrowed at the news and the two stood there awkwardly when Joey finally sighed, "Well, alright, but uh, Kisara, you don't have a phone do you?"

"Huh?" Kisara asked, "Oh, no, why?"

Joey stepped down the remaining steps and pulled his out of his pocket, "Take mine then."

"Oh no, I couldn't-"

"Yeah, you can," Joey told her, "Anyone who would call me I'll be seeing within the hour. Just text Tea if you see I get a message."

"Joey, I can't-" Kisara started, when Joey picked up her wrist and placed it in her hand gently.

"Yeah, ya can," Joey said.

"But why?" Kisara said, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Because..." Joey started, "Because Kaiba... he can be unpredictable. And I don't want him having a hissy fit or something and leaving you in the middle of Kyoto and you not having any way to reach us. So take it. My passcode is 1120, okay?"

Kisara looked down at the phone and then up at her boss and smiled, "Okay. Thank you, Joey."

She placed the phone in her purse and turned to go, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Right, and don't let Kaiba boss you around, that's my job!" Joey called.

Kisara laughed, "Right, thanks, Joey! Bye bye!"

As Kisara quickly made her way down the way he had come, Joey listened until he couldn't hear her footsteps rattling the metal steps anymore. He sighed and slouched as he turned to walk back up to the top step at Tea's apartment. Unfortunately, he was so lost in thought that when the door opened a second time, he was directly in the receiving end of it being slammed right into his face.

"Agh, ow ow ow, Tea, geez..." He moaned.

"Oh suck it up you big baby," Tea said, now dressed, "I'm not done, but you can come in now."

Joey rolled his eyes, holding his nose where she had smacked it with the door, and walked inside, where he leaned against the wall and slid down in a crossed legged sitting position. Despite the pain now in his face though, Joey's mind continued to be set on the revelation that Kisara was not joining them today and was instead spending time with Kaiba. Seto Kaiba. That in and of itself was a headache.

 **-YGO-**

Seto adjusted his Maybach Monarch III Q Platinum sunglasses for what felt like the millionth time that day and leaned back in the limo. He really didn't have to. They were a custom edition made to fit his face perfectly... while also admittedly being tailored for his preference, complete with a sky blue leather detailing on the temples and of course detailed with pure silver rims.

He almost wished he had decided to drive today, but that made no sense considering that they were taking the train. He crossed his legs the other way and leaned his chin on his fist, attempting to calm his nerves. He didn't think it would be this bad, had it not been for Mokuba making a royal fuss over what he wore today. No suits. No dueling trench coats. No briefcase. He had been half worried that he'd end up in sweats of some kind as Mokuba went on through his closet rejecting anything he picked up.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case and he'd been allowed a light blue button up that Mokuba had insisted upon having the sleeves unbuttoned and folded up a bit, paired with a white pair of khakis and a pair of KaibaCorp Edition Louis Vuitton Major brown loafers. The latter had been a gift that Mokuba had gotten him, claiming that he had labored many an hour to convince Vuitton to forgo the LV logo for the KC logo instead. They were without a scuff, despite having been amazingly worn in and Seto was grateful to be allowed to wear them due the massive amounts of walking they would be doing today... which meant massive amounts of time... together. Just the two of them.

He crossed his legs the other way, fighting off the nerves. He'd shave Mokuba's hair in his sleep for this. The CEO could swear that if it wasn't for Mokuba's constant pestering and commentary regarding this... excursion that he wouldn't be as jittery as he was.

 _"Maybe she'll wear a super cute yukata! It would be adorable!"_

Seto felt a deep blush rush to his cheeks at the memory. It would be... admittedly... cute. And cute wasn't a word he particularly cared for. Elegant maybe was one that he would use once in a while. But not 'cute'. Come to think of it, _would_ she be wearing a yukata? No... but maybe? It was a festival. But then again, what about all the walking? Or wait, she'd never been to Kyoto before; what if she didn't take that into account because she didn't know? He resisted the urge to grab at his face in annoyance at himself, when his phone beeped.

10 o'clock.

He looked up and out the window to see the entrance to the apartment complex in the more suburban surroundings where he saw through the tinted glass the walkway where his guest for the day would be coming from his way, assuming she would be on time. He hoped she would; he hated being late. For a moment, he debated on if he should get out of the limo or not. He was pretty sure that there were already onlookers. He doubted anyone in this area of town had rode in a limo before. Not that they were poor, but, still... how often did a limo drive up to a dingy little apartment complex probably used by college students and single hikikomori playing video games most of the day? It was probably best to stay inside...

 _"You better be a gentleman, Nii-sama! Or I_ _ **will**_ _lock you out of the mansion!"_

Seto groaned and moved to open the door. He climbed out and shut the door, keeping his head down and hands in his pockets so as to avoid being recognized. Normally, he could go out without much of a fuss. But still. This was Domino City, where his face had been on thousands of television screens as the city's premiere virtual dueling CEO of the largest gaming conglomerate in the world, providing thousands of jobs in the main city center alone. There was always the chance that someone would recognize him and with the limo next to him...

Meanwhile, Kisara tried to catch her breathe as she rushed her way down the steps, after having checked the watch that Seto had given her (that she still needed to return) and realizing she might be late. Upon stumbling at the bottom and regaining her balance, she skidded to a halt by the open doorway. Looking up and out, where she saw perhaps the longest car that she had ever seen and in front of it, the tall young man with whom she would be spending her day with. Even with his sunglasses, it was easy to tell that it was him. As he glanced up at her, she felt her body freeze with a tingling, much like that original sparkling, electric feeling from the mall, exciting her whole system and rendering her unable to process anything before her.

After a moment, he nodded at her and she was brought back down to earth, which seemingly had disappeared moments before. As the sensation of the ground under her feet returned, she took a deep breathe, hoisted her shoulders back so that she was standing up straight, and smiled. The Kemet native did her best to keep from having a spring in her step as she waved and walked over to meet him.

"Hi," She said.

"Hello," He said, tugging at his collar.

Kisara rocked back on her heels for a moment in the silence, finally breaking it after a moment, "You look nice."

Seto glanced at her, before back at the ground, "Thanks... you do too."

"Thanks," She replied.

Like two fish that had never seen another fish before, they stood there, floating in a pool of awkwardness before one Mokuba's reminders came to Seto's brain and he realized he was supposed to actually do something at this point.

"Well, uh, shall we?" He asked.

Kisara nodded with a sound of affirmation, giving Seto the clue to open the door. She peered inside to see seats in a c-shape and a mini-bar inside the vehicle. In a way, it was similar to the bus she had ridden in, but not quite as tall. Seto waited patiently, his lips pressed firmly together as he resolved himself to remain calm throughout the day. Inwardly, the thought that he even had to resolve to that tickled the back of his brain with the fact that that must have meant this was... important to him today. He hated Mokuba for this.

Finally, Kisara stepped inside, scooting over to the other side of the car, figuring that she was meant to sit in this kind of vehicle, rather than stand. Seto followed in after her and closed the door, when he alerted the driver up front to take them to the station. He tugged at his collar again, the smell of his Sauvage cologne seemingly much to strong now that they were in the limo together. Again, he made a mental note to kill his brother for this.

As the vehicle began to move, Kisara found the sudden jolt a bit of a surprise, but quickly got used to the sensation. Momentarily, she figuratively patted herself on the back for figuring out that sitting was the appropriate course of action to take when dealing with this kind of transportation. On trains, you could stand or sit and there were normally never seat belts. On the bus, you could stand or sit or even dance and it seemed in most cars, you just sat down with a seat belt over your lap. She didn't even know if this could be considered a car, come to think of it, but she was glad regardless that she had made the right decision with this vehicle. She glanced over to her host, who was sitting, a leg over his knee and phone in his hand.

"So, uh, how long does it take to drive to Kyoto?" She asked.

Seto looked up, "From here, 3 hours by driving. But we're not driving today. We're taking the Shinkansen."

"The Shinkan-sen?" Kisara repeated, and it clicked in Seto's head that she didn't seem to know what that was.

"The shinkansen, the bullet train?" He repeated, "It's the fastest train in the world?"

Kisara shook her head, "Sorry, I've never heard of it... I actually have never even seen one of these... vehicles..."

As she pointed at her seat, a blush of red came to her face. _Stupid, why would you admit to that?_ She thought.

"A limo?" Seto asked.

"Uh.." Kisara was brought back, "Yes. Is that what this is?"

Seto nodded, "Yeah..."

"Oh..."

The CEO sat back in his seat, "Well... I guess they aren't super common in Japan. Finding a driver for this one was a hassle at the very least... ended up getting this guy from a bus company."

"Ah... then you don't normally ride in these?" Kisara asked, trying to make conversation on something other than about Duel Monsters.

"Depends," Seto said, shrugging, "I prefer to drive myself, but if it's more convenient to just have a driver drop me off somewhere..."

Kisara nodded, getting the drift. Drivers. Cars... Shinkansen... It reminded her of the omnipotence and power of the Pharaohs and their priests, having so much power and the ability to get whatever they wanted when they wanted it. Maybe it was because they had been only having lunch together for the past two weeks, but all of this just seemed to reaffirm what Tea had said to her before. Seto Kaiba was indeed 'loaded'. She momentarily found her fingers messing with the blue pouch of a purse she had on her shoulder as feelings of inadequacy began to push their way into her mind.

"Well, if you've never heard of a Shinkansen, I guess you'll get another treat today," Seto told her, pulling her out of her thoughts, "They're an iconic piece of engineering and a staple example of Japanese ingenuity."

Kisara smiled in affirmation of understanding, when her path of vision moved to the sparkles on her shoes. Seto swallowed, mentally berating himself for before. Over the past week or so, all they had talked about was Duel Monsters for the most part. They'd never talked about much of anything aside from that or daily life, so Kisara's partial amnesia never really was mentioned. But now, it was starting to hit him... there was a lot that she didn't know about. He uncomfortably crossed his legs again, a habit of his when he was mentally debating on what to do or say. How was he supposed to act in this sort of situation?

Though normally something he avoided doing, he tried to recall past experiences when he'd had interaction aside from business environments or family. Nothing, not even Tea's "friendship" rallies seemed to bring forth any good advice; they were mostly just irritating and annoying to graze over as his mind worked through the compartments of such memories. He browsed through the multitudes of "dating knowledge" that Mokuba had given him and yet, none of that seemed useful either.

At best, he tried to think of how he interacted with his brother, but it was... different. Mokuba understood that he could be rather short and ill-tempered at times, show-offy, even. Though to be fair, that last one was well deserved in his mind. It didn't change the fact however that probably the reason he had gotten away with it for years was because Mokuba was both irrefutably loyal and understanding of his brother's motives as well as undeniably infatuated with his brother's success and prowess (though the latter seemed to be wearing off with years).

Lost in his thoughts, it surprised Seto when the driver pulled up to the station as the realization that they had been quietly sitting in the back of the limo for at least ten or fifteen minutes. _'Stupid, why would you do that?'_ He thought. Shutting his eyes, he took a deep breath as the driver got out and went around to open the door for them.

"Kisara," He said.

"Yes?" She said, turning to him.

He breathed a bit of a sigh of relief as he realized that she had been looking out the window, watching the passing-by views, "You ready?"

Kisara nodded with a smile and Seto felt his heart seemingly rise a bit in his chest with helium, making him grateful for the fact that he was wearing his sunglasses and she couldn't see his eyes. The driver opened the door allowing Seto and Kisara out. Seto offered her a hand as she got out before their escort shut the door behind them. Without a word, the driver went around and drove the limo off, leaving the two of them alone to themselves, save for other pedestrians.

Kisara looked around. She recognized this station "Domino-Eki", but she'd never gotten off at this stop and the sights she had seen of it had been from the cars on the tracks of the Higashi Domino Sen. The outside was much grander and larger in size than most of the other stations she had seen previously.

"Well, let's go," Seto said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, yes," She said, looking back at him.

The two walked side by side, heading into the station in silence. Kisara found herself entranced by all of the hustle and bustle around them. It was similar to De Maru Eki, with shops, konbini, and various signs directing travelers in what seemed to be a seamless glide to their end destination. As they passed by the ticket gates and down the steps towards the barriers, Kisara realized that she only had her JR Suica pass on her and it in no way would have enough money for something as… luxurious as a Shinkansen sounded. Would she need to reload it before the barrier? Or would they pay upon exit? Or was there some special ticket? As her concern over possibly getting separated at the barrier grew, finally, words sprung from her mouth.

"Seto... how-"

"Let's stop here for a moment," Seto said interrupting her.

As they stood near a concrete pillar, her companion pulled out three items from his wallet and handed one to her, a small, semi-glossy card with the KC of Kaiba Corp and the JR of the Shinkansen's operators beautifully interwoven together with the words "Gran Class" etched in gold upon it. The second item seemed to be the same, which Seto slipped back into his wallet, but the other appeared to be a white surgical mask, which he slipped over his face.

"I hope you don't mind," He said, as she looked up at him in question, "We've been getting attention. It should pass once we get on the train, but for now this should decrease any intrusions..."

Kisara found herself still a little confused when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a group of young guys pointing and staring at them and then a group of girls giggling and shyly pointing their way. Wait, no. It wasn't them. It was Seto they were looking at and then maybe her, but primarily it was Seto.

He motioned to continue towards the gate, "You can use that pass for the ride."

"Okay," She said, nodding, "But, uh, you don't have to wear that for my sake... only if you want to."

Seto paused and looked at her quizzically. He normally never wore one out in public. He wasn't one to avoid public attention; quite frankly he enjoyed it. But Mokuba had told him explicitly that he should try to be more discreet because Kisara might not be okay with it. And now here she was telling him it didn't matter to her one way or another. His immediate gut reaction told him 'attention seeker' and 'user' in loud words, but seeing the earnest expression, the same one she had held when she had wanted to be friends, on her face somehow seemed to unlock his muscles from their tense position.

He pulled the mask down and off with one finger, revealing an amused smile, "Alright."

Stuffing the mask back into his pocket, the two continued on towards the platform, swiping their badges at the gate. He led Kisara onto the escalator where they stood in a single file line off to the side to allow others to pass as Seto thought over in astonished amusement what Kisara's words implied. Most people, when they were out with him, gloated over the glorious beams of public attention that came with being with the youngest multi-billionaire CEO in Japan. But Kisara's implication, that she would prefer him to be comfortable, not only discarded the notion that she was using their outing for attention, but also that she understood that he might even care a bit for the attention that fame brought with it. Was it a play in a game of chess? Or an honest desire for him to be happy? No matter how he looked at it, the slim chance that it was a play, a facade, just continued to slip back and away, becoming more unlikely the more he paraded around it in his mind.

As they walked over to stand by their car number and he replaced his shades back on his face though, the notion occurred to Seto that Kisara might not even realize the extent of his fame, considering she hadn't seemed to get it when he had first put on the mask... Kisara locked her arms behind her with a stretch before pulling her hands back to the front and letting them trail down the strap of her purse repeatedly as they waited.

 _Just who was this girl?_

Though there was no way for him to really know it, that girl was at the moment frantically filing through all that she had learned since coming to this strange time and era, trying to determine if silence was the norm for friends on an excursion such as this... not to mention if this really was a date or not or how she should behave all day with someone who didn't know she was really from Kemet. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when she felt a rush of air hit her left side and a long tube with a white nose like the snout of a doberman coming towards her, she practically jumped back in surprise with a gasp.

The sound was enough to bring an unintentionally amused smile to Seto's face as the technologically advanced piece of machinery came to a smooth and gentle stop in front of them. The doors slid open allowing for passengers to get off before those waiting to board were allowed on. Seto went ahead in first heading to the familiar area where he and Mokuba usually sat, Kisara right behind him.

While Seto had walked swiftly through the aisle, Kisara found herself stuck at the opening as her eyes were met by six rows of soft, plush reclining seats fitted with gorgeous white leather. Leading her to her seat was a long red carpet which met white and rose gold walls that traveled up to large windows allowing for full views of the exterior of the train. She felt her chest swell inside of her, excited at what she was seeing. It felt like a carriage for royals. When she noticed people behind her, she quickly moved to catch up with Seto, who had moved into the window seat already.

As she sat down next to him and her fingers ran down the smooth armrests, she felt a tingle strike through her system and she beamed, watching passers by as they made their way to their seats. Seto glanced at her, when a realization hit him.

"Kisara, did you want the window seat?" He asked.

"Hm?" She turned to him, "Oh, no, that's okay. You can have it. I'll take it on the way back."

"By that time you won't be able to see anything though," He informed her.

"Oh... well, that's fine. We'll see a lot in Kyoto today, right?" She said, letting the notion go, "Besides, this way you can have a bit more personal space before we get there."

"Hm?" He watched her surprised she would catch that.

"It will help, to be away from the aisle, yes?" She asked, "You won't have to deal with the people passing by."

"Uh... yeah, thanks," He said slowly.

"Of course," She said with a smile.

As the rest of the occupants arrived and began to sit down, they soon heard the doors close with a quiet hiss of pressure as rubber linings sealed them in. It was time to go. Kisara turned her head around, waiting for the inevitable jolt that would let her know that the journey began, but none came. Confused, she turned to Seto to ask, when she saw him resting his chin on his knuckles by the window, out of which Kisara saw the station departing out of their line of sight.

"When... when did we start?" She asked.

"Huh?" Seto glanced out, "Oh, about thirty seconds ago probably."

"But... we didn't even feel it," Kisara said, amazed.

Seto raised a brow and sat up a bit, "Do you have any coins?"

A little surprised at the question, Kisara nodded, dug out her coin purse, pulled out a 100 yen coin and held it out to him. Seto reached over to pick it up, when the tips of his fingers graced over her palm. The softness made him blink a bit. He didn't think skin could be that soft. He brought a tray table down and placed the coin up vertically.

"We're probably going at about 100 kilometers per hour right about now," He said, when he let go of the coin, allowing it to remain perfectly balanced.

Kisara's eyes widened, "How... really?"

A side smile escaped him, "The Shinkansen is perfectly balanced and has ultimate control in regards to speed, which allows for such stability. Though..."

The coin fell over and Kisara looked from it to him, "Once we hit a turn, it becomes more difficult to maintain such balance, so the coin falls. However, the newest of the Shinkansen models, the Maglev, operate entirely off of electro magnetic technology. The poles in molecules repel one another with such accuracy that this 100 yen coin would stay balanced for the entirety of the trip."

"That's amazing!" Kisara exclaimed.

She didn't understand many of the scientific words that Seto was using and if she did, she had a hard time picturing it. Poles that would repel and electric technologies mixed with magnets... It felt like he was talking about some kind of magic, far beyond her understanding. But he seemed to light up a bit while talking about it, as though just as fascinated by the concepts of this magic as she was watching it. They were interrupted shortly after though by a personal attendant offering them a selection of bento boxes for a 'brunch' of some kind. It didn't take long for them to receive their bentos which they opened to reveal sweet smelling fragrances for their delight or rather, maybe more of Kisara's delight as the smells seemed so on point to make her taste buds water at the perfection of the scents.

Now much more confident with chopsticks, Kisara pulled hers apart and began to happily intake the mildly sweet unagi which seemed to swim down her throat bringing a pleasent warmth that she didn't know was possible in the heat of the summer. A happy, perkiness seemed to spread through from her smile to her shoulders, which she scrunched together as she began to devour her food while Seto seemed complacently satisfied to just eat the meal included with their passage in silence. Glancing over on occasion, Kisara found herself looking for any sign that Seto wanted to talk, but was just as well off when he didn't seem to want to. Just being here was enough.

A loud series of thumping footsteps suddenly interrupted the silence that they had been enjoying. The two met eyes and though Seto still had by this point replaced his sunglasses, Kisara could tell he was a bit perturbed as his lips became a bit pursed and his nose wrinkled. She swiveled around to the aisle to see who was producing the sound. A little boy, maybe around the age of five or so evading his pursuers as he slipped into the Gran Class car.

"You're not allowed in there!" Came the call after him, which he gleefully ignored, running at full speed towards Kisara and Seto from behind.

But it was short lived as an older passenger, annoyed probably as they were, stuck out their foot, effectively tripping up the evading party and producing a sound of pain, "Ofph!"

Kisara's shoulders scrunched together and reached a hand out to help the little one up, "Are you alright?"

The boy looked up at her, about to answer, when the attendant came forward, "That's enough, you'll have to come with me now..."

"Ugh, noooo!" Squealed the boy, wiggling to get free.

"Come on now..."

"No!" The boy screamed, now the center spectacle of all those in the Gran Class car as he hocked up and spit directly at the attendant's hand.

She gasped, falling backwards as she lost her balance after immediately letting go. The boy too fell and scampered to get back and up, but in the process, his eyes glanced over to Kisara again and her companion sitting by the window causing him to pause. His eyes widened and he gasped, quickly scrambling up and leaning in over Kisara's lap at Seto.

"Hey! You're Seto Kaiba! Right? I'm right, aren't I?" He asked.

Kisara's gaze shifted back and forth between the boy and Seto, whose face was void of a response, giving her a rather uncomfortable feeling. Seto pulled off his glasses and starred at the boy, almost coldly. Was she supposed to deny it? Let Seto handle it? She wasn't sure what to do as the boy continued, his face lighting up even more upon seeing Seto without his shades.

"You are! I knew you were! You're like, the coolest, best duelist ever! I love watching your duels! I've seen every one. You have the strongest monsters and the coolest spell and trap cards; I want to be a duelist like you someday! Oh, but I, uh, I don't have any strong cards yet. I think my strongest has 2100 attack points..." The boy rambled on, when an thought hit him and he dug into his pocket to reveal an amateurishly drawn picture taped to a card, "Oh, but I do have this! My older brother made it for me! It's supposed to be a Blue Eyes. He knows my favorite part of your duels is when you summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I could only imagine dueling against a real one one day! That would be so- Uh, ugh, hey!"

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm so sorry for the intrusion. I'll take care of him now. Again, my sincerest apologies," The panicked attendant pleaded for Seto and Kisara to accept, when Seto raised a hand to stop her, much to Kisara's surprise.

"Let him go," He rebuked the woman.

"I- I'm sorry?" She stuttered out.

Seto eyed her with a stone cold glare, "Let. Him. Go."

The attendant, as though Seto had put the fear of death into her, released the boy almost immediately, who looked back to Seto in awe. Seto beckoned the boy to come back with a slight curl or two of his second and third fingers. The young kid, in complete awe, suddenly became remarkably quiet and stiff, as though in the presence of the most important person in the world.

"May I?" Seto asked, glancing to the card in the boy's hands.

"Uh... oh!" The boy, after a moment to comprehend what Seto was asking, handed over the card.

Kisara found a memory returning to her, one of Joey going on about how Seto had the "worst disdain" for weak duelists and "terrible tendencies" for doing irrationally, and even blatantly, "abhorrent things" to aspiring and fellow duelists, and a fear caught up in her throat. What was he going to... But it was short lived as Seto looked over the card, his features... not quite as cold as they had been moments ago with the attendant. His pupils traced over the card, following each color etched in with colored lead and ink. A small smile tugged at his lips as he sat back and pulled out a pen.

"You recognize that power is something you have to work to obtain in order to protect what's precious to you," Seto said, uncapping the pen, writing a small note, and signing the card, "That will serve you well as a duelist."

He blew on the card, letting the ink dry before handing it back to the kid who took it like he'd been given the best Duel Monsters card in the world as Seto continued, "I won't let you have the real Blue-Eyes, but I trust that you'll find a powerful card of equally great importance in your life too, as the Blue-Eyes is to mine. Then you and your brother can climb to the top together."

The boy gave a 1,000 watt smile, glowing brightly and nodded to Seto excitedly. Seto smiled back, "I'll wait for you there."

The boy nodded again as the attendant and Kisara watched in shock as the once squirming and high energy boy was brought into a calm and happiness by words spoken by none other than Seto Kaiba. It was... both amazing and heart warming to see, Kisara thought, though she might have been disputed in that by the attendant, had she dared to voice her relief that the boy hadn't irritated one of the few passengers on board who could likely get her fired.

The kid looked up to the attendant beaming, "Can I go back to my mom now? I wanna show her and my brother!"

The attendant nodded, doing a poor job at not showing her tension being released from her stance as the boy happily turned back to Seto to bid him goodbye, "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba!"

Seto nodded, leaning comfortably back into his chair as the boy made to return from whence he came, when for the first time the boy's eyes really landed on Kisara, who was still watching him. He tilted his head and paused in his path as his eyes locked on her. Suddenly, the center of the boy's attention, Kisara found her shoulders move closer to her chest, again, unsure of what to do, when the boy leapt forward, wrapping his arms around Kisara in a hug and kissing her square on the cheek.

Seto's eyes widened at the motion and he leaned forward again, when the boy let go with a smile, whispering to Kisara, "I get it now."

He turned to leave, skipping merrily away, while Kisara brought a hand to her cheek and the boy called out one last time in a final salute off, "Bye, Mr. Kaiba! Bye-bye, Blue-Eyed Girl!"

Both Seto and Kisara turned back to see him, astonished in some ways, as the boy and the attendant left the car. The child merrily seemed to slip out of sight as he skipped off, leaving the Gran Class car as it had been before. As the train carried on unperturbed by the incident in the slightest, they slowly turned back into their chairs, Kisara found her hand still on her cheek staring at the half eaten bento in front of her. What was that about? Blue-Eyed Girl? Yes, she had blue eyes, but... what did that have to do with... she looked over to see Seto, who was watching her, a look of complete bafflement, trying to mask feelings of panic that were bubbling up in his gut from showing on his face. Neither seemed able to speak.

"Uh..."

"Um..." He started, "Uh, are you okay?"

Kisara nodded, "I am... are you?"

Seto nodded, trying to remain calm and leaning back into his seat as though it was nothing. It didn't feel like nothing though. The two continued on to Kyoto in silence, slowly finishing their meal and then keeping to themselves as the mountains jetted by them in a coolness that called to mind the distilled air of a fresh spring day. Though it was quiet, it was comfortable, Kisara felt, as she placed her chopsticks down and leaned back after their attendant came to take away her box.

She sort of understood what the boy had been implying, that Seto liked her because of her blue eyes because he had that card... the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. This... Blue-Eyes card... she'd still never seen it, but clearly it was important to Seto, linked to him in some way. She didn't know why, but it gave her a good feeling. A warm one, knowing that Seto had such a passion... that he seemed to want to pass on, to those he deemed worthy of it anyway. Though she doubted that Seto actually liked her in _that_ way, having the chance to be his friend was enough for her, she thought. She glanced over his way, to see him looking out the window when an announcement drew her eyes away.

"Now Arriving in Kyoto."

To her left, she saw outside the window across the way the train come to a smooth stop, again without even the remotest sign that it had even been moving at all. She stood up, rolled her shoulders back and slipped her purse over her shoulder. Smiling as adrenaline hit her at the prospect of the beginning adventure, a realization hit her and she turned around to see Seto still sitting down in thought.

She smiled, "You coming?"

Seto's gaze cast itself over to her. His chin lowered after a moment with a brief nod as he stood to follow out behind her to what awaited in Kyoto.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** Kyotooooooooo 3 . I'm very excited for the start of this section of the story. I went back to Kyoto this past summer and went to a bunch of the places, actually, just about all of the places that will be coming up in this part of the story. While Tokyo remains my favorite spot in Japan, there's something uniquely tranquil and beautiful about Kyoto that I hope I can relay to all of you as the story goes on. Also, just saying, Sauvage is the best cologne, haha. That's my vote anyway. Oh! And for those curious, Kyoto is a Shinkansen ride away from Tokyo and normally takes about 2 hours, depending on the rail line you get on. I have Domino being placed somewhere near Nagoya - so it's closer than Tokyo is to Kyoto in this story. Shinkansen are not usually that plush though lol - those are Gran Class cars and they're only on select trains and you pay out the wazu for those. Even so, a regular seat on a Shinkansen in my opinion is just as fantastic of an option to travel by. Absolutely wonderful. Anyway, let me know your thoughts! Love you all and have a wonderful holiday!

Later,

~Rena


	17. Chapter Seventeen: 見物 (Kenbutsu)

**Disclaimer:** New year, new me, but no new ownership of YGO so…. There's that.

 **Author's Note:** Happy New Year everyone! I hope all has been well with you. Things have been a little hectic here on my end, which is why I didn't manage to get this up within the first week of the month. Still, I think you're going to enjoy this chapter. A note before we continue though - some of Kaiba's remarks regarding cultural and religious traditions are not exactly… what you'd call respectful. They're very I guess you could say simplified overviews and the way he talks about them, well, some of the phrasing he uses are more so a reflection of Kaiba's outlook on life than anything else (and they're certainly not meant to reflect my opinions or those of others). Just wanted to put that out there. Now that that's stated, let's get going on this chapter!

 _ **Terms -** _

_Yankii_ \- A subculture in Japan of essentially 'delinquent' or 'rebellious' students - sometimes characterized with bleached hair, thin eyebrows, and modified school uniforms.

 _Kinkaku-Ji_ \- Also known as "The Golden Pavilion" or "The Golden Temple", it is one of Japan's most iconic landmarks - a zen temple coated in gold.

 _Fushimi Inari Taisha_ \- Also known as "Fushimi Inari Shrine", where thousands of red torii gates line the way up to the top of Mt. Inari. Another of Japan's most iconic landmarks.

 _Ginkaku-Ji_ \- Similar in construction to Kinkaku-Ji, it is also known as "The Silver Pavilion" or "The Silver Temple". Though not coated in silver, it is a favorite spot of travelers who visit in Kyoto.

 _Gion District_ \- Famous district of Kyoto for its edo-period styled construction as well as Geiko (Geisha).

 _Temizuya_ \- A place for the ritual cleansing of the hands and mouth with water prior to entering shrines and temples.

 _Mizaru_ \- One of the three wise monkeys at Toshogu ("See no evil")

 _Toshogu_ \- A shrine in Nikko dedicated to Ieyasu Tokugawa, who united Japan in the early 1600's

 _Nikko_ \- A famous shrine village North East of Tokyo near Lake Chuzenji. Very beautiful place to go, especially in fall, with Toshogu shrine and the Kegon Waterfall.

 _The Siblings at Fushimi_ \- I actually saw two siblings like this when I first went to Fushimi Inari Taisha. It was a very striking image that I wanted to include in this story to share with all of you.

 _Kitsune_ \- Japanese for "Fox(ex)"

 _1,000 Cranes_ \- In Japan, the legend goes if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, you may have one wish come true. This was made even more famous after the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was a victim of the radiation poisoning after the bombing of Hiroshima.

 _Omiyage_ \- Japanese for "Souvenir(s)"

 _Kyogashi_ \- Kyoto style Japanese sweets

 _Nama Yatsuhashi_ \- A Japanese sweet sold primarily in Kyoto - "Nama" means 'raw' - in this case, soft Yatsuhashi (it can also be baked).

 _Anko_ \- Red Bean Paste; usually just a little sweet.

 _Nikki_ \- Japanese for "Cinnamon"

 _Wabi Sabi_ \- A Japanese Aesthetic - focuses on minimalistic sense, imperfection, and the ever changing nature of things with time.

 _Fusuma_ \- Sliding Japanese Screens

 _Walking and Eating_ \- Not something people commonly do in Japan.

 _Nanzenji_ \- A Zen Buddhist Temple between Ginkaku-Ji and Yasaka Shrine - known for its towering gate, rock gardens, and the nearby aqueduct.

 _Higashiyama_ \- A district of Kyoto on the slopes of the eastern mountains - it is a preserved historic district with walkways to and from Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizudera Temple.

 _Yasaka Shrine_ \- Shrine in the Gion district of Kyoto, famous for housing the Mikoshi used during the Gion festival

 _Mikoshi_ \- A portable shrine carried around a town during festivals; they are each individually unique in terms of design

 _Holding hands in Japan_ \- Showing public affection in Japan almost never happens, so doing something like this is a big deal.

 _Hanami-koji_ \- Famous old style street in Kyoto in Gion - in it's back alleys, you can often find Geiko and Maiko in the evenings around 5 going to dinner appointments.

 _Cabs_ \- Cray cray expensive in Japan. Like, super expensive. The fact that Kaiba can afford several is insane to me.

Today's chapter title means "Sightseeing".

 **-YGO-**

" _There's a light that you give me, when I'm in shadow,_

 _There's a feeling within me, an everglow."_

-"Everglow" by Coldplay

 **Chapter Seventeen:** **見物** **(Kenbutsu)**

"Bye, Mr. Kaiba! Bye-bye, Blue Eyed Girl!"

Panic. That was a complete and accurate descriptive word for what Seto felt at that moment. When Kisara turned to see him, Seto found his tongue weighing like a lead brick, but the adrenaline rush quickly made that but a nuisance.

"Uh..."

"Um..." He began, "Uh, are you okay?"

Kisara nodded her head, "I am... are you?"

Seto did the same, choosing to lean back into his seat slowly, like it was glass while his mind raced. Blue Eyed Girl. He didn't need Mokuba to tell him what that boy was implying. That he liked Kisara and that he liked her because of her looks, her blue eyes. Admittedly, she was... pretty... but that wasn't solely because she had blue eyes. He barely noticed the attendant coming for their bento boxes, his mind was so wrapped up in trying to figure out the best way to address the situation at hand.

"Now Arriving in Kyoto."

The announcement seemed to freeze him in place. From this point on, it was going to be just them. No attendants. No driver. Just him and Kisara. The boy thought he like her. Did he? Or didn't he? Was this just a 'crush' spurred on by the innate natural man? If so, it would mean even he bent to his own humanity, which made him admittedly uncomfortable and perturbed. Or did he genuinely actually like her? Her personality? Her little ticks and quirks? Her outlook on life? The way she expressed herself? In short, did he like everything about her? And why on earth was it so important to him that he knew? What did it even matter?

"You coming?"

Seto found himself brought out of his trance and staring up at Kisara. She was now the only one left on the train, partially leaning over the seat in front of her own back at him, waiting. He lowered his chin just enough to confirm that indeed, he was coming. Standing up, he followed behind her, his gaze cast down as they walked. At the train's doorway, Kisara hopped off and glanced up and around while Seto stood at the rim of the train. He blinked as Kisara's silvery white hair spun around her as she did with her arms open to the hot summer air. He wasn't sure why, but his brother's words came back to him.

 _"The richest guy in all of Domino City can't take a day off to go to Kyoto with a friend? You know, you're always telling me to make the most out of life. Why can't you do the same for once? Just take some time to enjoy life."_

"Seto?"

The dueling champion let out a sigh and a brief smile came to him, before he looked up at her, "Sorry, I'm coming."

Stepping off the train, he quickly caught up with Kisara and the two started walking towards the middle of the station. He may not have all of the answers to his questions, but that's what this was for. To figure them out. To determine if this 'friendship' was really just that or not that at all or... something more. Kisara's light steps easily allowed her to keep up with his. He smiled as they walked up to a map that gave a general lay out of Kyoto and stopped.

"Alright, so, the lighting of the Gozan no Okuribi doesn't start till 8. Do you have anything you want to do in particular?" He asked, his eyes directing her attention to the map, a basic grid from north to south hidden within the mountains around them.

Kisara looked it over, "Hmm... I don't know Kyoto... how long does it take to get to places?"

"Depends on how you go," Seto told her, "You can walk, bike, take the bus, train, or cab."

"Um... well... I don't, uh, I don't know how to ride a bike... so... can we walk?" She asked, when Seto let out an amused laugh, to which, Kisara, in a panic at the thought he was laughing at her inability, responded, "What?"

"You think I'd bike somewhere? I'd rather take a cab any day," He told her, "There are areas where it won't be prudent to take a cab, but those areas we can walk."

Kisara nodded with a smile, "Oh, okay, well... good."

A small laugh escaped her and Seto turned back to the map, "So... where would you like to go?"

Kisara brought a hand to her lips in thought, reading over the depiction of Kyoto before her, when she glanced up at him, "The best places to see."

Seto cocked an eye at her and suddenly, almost flustered as if she might have said something wrong, Kisara added, "Uh, I mean, if uh, if that's okay. I mean we don't have to see everything, just... the places you think are the best."

The CEO read over the map one more time before making a decision, "Alright, let's start Kinkaku-ji and Fushimi Inari Taisha. They're at opposite ends of the city, but they'll become mobbed as the day goes on. After that, we can head over to Ginkaku-ji and the Gion District."

Kisara's pink lips curved into a smile, "Sure! Sounds like a plan!"

 **-YGO-**

"So when did she tell you about this?" Joey said as he and Tea walked down the steps of the station towards the Game Shop.

Tea brushed her hair behind her ear and adjusted her tiny backpack, trying to keep it flat to avoid wrinkling the contents inside, "I told you, I just found out this morning."

"Did she say when this was decided?" He asked.

"Nope," Tea answered.

"That's it? Just "Nope"? Tea, you're the biggest gossip on this planet, how can you say that?" Joey said, incredulously.

"Rude!" She shouted back to him, "I do not gossip, I pay attention, you should try it sometime. Maybe then you'd realize your sister is much worse about that kind of thing than I am."

"I-" Joey began, when he realized that Tea had a point.

Before he could say anything, Tea took the opportunity to change the subject, "And speaking of paying attention, care to explain why Mai isn't joining us today?"

"Huh?" Joey said, rather taken aback.

"Don't think we all don't know at this point, Joey," Tea said, "What'd you do this time?"

They crossed the street and entered the colorful path that was rising out of what seemed like nothing in preparation for this evening. Joey sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I didn't do anything..." He said, "Mai... we had a fight alright."

"About?" Tea pressed.

Joey wrinkled his nose, "I don't wanna talk about it Tea."

"Oh come on," She said, "You've been going through the days like a puppy that was yelled at for the last few weeks."

"Why does everyone say a puppy of all things?" Joey asked, annoyed.

"Probably because you keep bleaching your hair that awful yanki blonde color that looks like it's better suited to a yellow lab," Tea told him, "No one buys that it's real."

Joey rolled his eyes, "That's not the point of it."

"Yeah, well, regardless, just spill it. We've known each other for years; I'm not going to say anything to anyone if you don't want me to, you know that," Tea told him.

Joey eyed her with such severe scrutiny that Tea was debating whether or not to take offense when he finally opened his mouth, "She's mad at me for not dueling on a pro level anymore."

Tea almost stopped in her tracks, "Wait, what?"

"When I was, she and I saw each other much more often. But you know, the game shop's been so busy and I make a better stream of income that way," Joey elaborated.

"Maybe if you stopped relying on luck cards," Tea told him, "But even then, you're really good Joey."

Joey shook his head, "It doesn't matter. If I'm running a deck based on luck or the Red Eyes or both, even if I do compete and win, I still have to pay for the traveling. I'm forking out money for Serenity's college. Mom helps her when she can, but she's struggling you know? I just... I can't gamble away Serenity's future like that."

"So... she's mad at you for being responsible?" Tea asked, "That doesn't really sound like Mai... I mean, I know she isn't one to settle down in any one place, but... even she knows what it's like when the bills are due."

Joey shrugged as they got to the game shop and he pulled his keys out, "Yeah, well, doesn't matter now... she's got her life and I've got mine, you know?"

He opened the door to the closed up shop and the two peered in. Joey's shoulders slouched.

"Aw, not again."

"Not again, what?" Tea asked.

"I asked Yug if I could be a little late getting in today and if he could open up early," Joey told her, earning a smack over the back of his head, "Ow! What was that for?"

"You idiot, why would you ask that?" Tea chastised, "He's exhausted these days. And why wouldn't you just close up shop for today? It's a holiday!"

"Oi, and you think I'm not? Come on, let's go get sleeping beauty," He said, shutting the door and heading for the door to the house.

All the lights were still off inside the kitchen as well. Joey and Tea kicked their shoes off and looked around, finding the place empty of anyone.

"Hm, you'd think Gramps would be around here, it's practically noon," Joey mused.

"Well maybe he was tired too," Tea said underhandedly.

Joey glared before motioning for her to follow him up the stairs. The second floor was just as quiet as the floor below. Joey peeked in on Yugi's grandfather who seemed to be sound asleep.

"You know, walking around like this feels like trespassing," Tea told him.

"Oh relax," Joey said, "I just don't wanna wake 'im."

Passing by Solomon, the two made their way to Yugi's room, where the door was cracked open slightly. Joey peered in and smirked.

"Lazy bum," He whispered, as an evil look began to appear on his face.

"Joey, what are you-"

"Hold my stuff," He said.

"Joey-!"

"Cannonball!" He screamed, rushing the room, his yell the only warning a completely out of it Yugi had before his eyes widened and he found himself tackled by his best friend in a wrestling match.

"Joe-Joey!" Yugi said, pushing against his friend's arms which were attempting to get him in a headlock.

"Rise and shine, Game King," He said as the two wrestled.

"Get off!" Yugi yelled, the two struggling as he managed to get out the words.

"As if, I told you to open the shop early!" Joey told him, when the two tumbled to the ground and landed with a rather loud "thump" from the bed.

Tea winced, watching the two as the match continued.

"Since, ugh, when did you, ugh, Joey come on!" Yugi said, managing to get his arm up and through Joey's headlock, effectively removing himself from Joey's hold.

"Oh no, you're not using Pegasus' as your excuse out of this one," Joey said, trying to again get a hold of Yugi as he attempted to make his point, "You're always yelling at me to open up on time."

"That's your job!" Yugi yelled back as Joey grabbed his shirt sleeve as he attempted to roll away from the fray.

"And managing your grandpa's shop isn't yours?" Joey said, pulling on the sleeve, as the two struggled.

Finding the tug on his shirt to be the last straw as it tightened his collar around his neck, Yugi definitively elbowed Joey in the ribs out of nowhere and fell backwards in front of Tea.

"The heck, man what was that for?" Joey said, gasping at the surprise at, what he saw as, an underhanded move.

"For tackling me awake, what do you think?" Yugi said, groaning, when his gaze landed on Tea's socks and then up to Tea, who had been watching the squirmish, "Uh..."

"Morning," She said.

"Mor-" Yugi started when it occurred to him. He was only in an undershirt and boxers, "Agh, sorry Tea, hang on."

He rushed her out of the room and slammed the door shut. Though his intent was to get decent for Tea, it also locked him in the room with Joey. He groaned before rushing to find a pair of pants and a nice shirt, which his closet seemed intent on not belching out.

"Why'd you bring her up here, huh?" He asked Joey in a whisper as he hopped into a pair of jeans.

"You're not wearing a yukata?" Joey asked.

"No, why-" Yugi stopped when he saw Joey's smile.

What had Tea been wearing? Was she wearing one? He couldn't remember. He had been so intent on getting dressed, he hadn't noticed. He ran over, one leg in his jeans as the other pant leg trailed behind, and grabbed Joey by his shirt's collar.

"What's she wearing?!" The note of desperation clear in his voice.

"Aw, come on now, and Tea just told me I don't pay attention," Joey said.

"Joey!" Yugi hissed.

Joey shrugged, "She's gonna wear one later. You're fine."

Yugi released him and instantly was back to getting dressed. Joey shook his head, wondering what he, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Mai, and possibly even Pegasus had wondered too many times over the past years to count: when would these two idiots just fess up that they liked one another already.

Once Yugi found a shirt, popped it on and added his signature leather accessories to the outfit, Tea found the door to the room opening and a sheepishly embarrassed Yugi poking his head out and grinning at her.

"Ha, so-sorry about that, uh..." He began, "You and Joey wanna go downstairs? I gotta brush my teeth and I'll be right down."

Tea smiled and nodded, "Sure, no rush."

Yugi smiled and ran down the hall to the restroom, which he promptly went into and shut. Joey followed, stretching in the doorway, earning a disapproving look from Tea in the process.

"What?"

"Oh, come on," She said, "You know, you didn't need to do that."

"No, but it was fun," Joey said as they got to the steps.

Joey's foot didn't reach the first step however before he felt an unexpected whack on his back which sent him skidding down the stairs in an awkward tumble. Tea winced as she heard Joey fall back against the wall down the stairs and glanced back to see where the push had come from.

"I don't care if it was fun, it was loud!" Solomon Muto yelled down the steps, "Now hurry up and open the shop, you good for nothing lazy employee."

Tea found herself snickering despite herself as she hopped down the steps and offered Joey a hand as he growled at Solomon.

"Just wait till Yugi's gone and you're reliant on me again!" Joey yelled back.

"I'd sooner hire a nurse then go back to that time; now go open the shop!" Solomon yelled before slamming the door shut to his room and effectively irritating the manager of his store.

Letting out a growl of frustration, Joey threw his hands up and headed into the kitchen where he pulled a Pocari Sweat from the fridge and began to down it. Tea sat down at the island and Joey gasped for air.

"Don't think you're out of it by the way," He said.

"Out of what?" Tea asked.

"Out of telling us what's going on between Kaiba and Kisara," Joey said, turning his back to finish his drink when the voice he heard from behind turned out to not be the one he had been expecting.

"Wait, what do you mean 'going on between Kaiba and Kisara?'"

The two turned to see Yugi standing over the top of the staircase railing down at them. In the background, the clock alerted them to the time. It was noon.

"Yeah Tea," Joey shot, breaking the silence, "What is going on between that jerk and Kisara?"

Joey took a quick swig of his drink, happy to divert the focus away from himself and onto someone else for them to deal with. In his mind, the game shop manager found himself considering this to not be the worst way for the day to begin, though he could tell that they were in for a long conversation that was sure to cause his best friend nothing but a headache and maybe even a bit of a migraine.

 **-YGO-**

Seto was incredibly grateful that he had been allowed to suggest getting Kinkaku-ji and Fushimi Inari Taisha out of the way first. They started with Fushimi Inari Taisha, in the South East end of Kyoto, where they were met with a barrage of people at the fronts of the Shrine, which only seemed to fade out as they began to climb up the steps. Starting near the entrance, Seto showed Kisara how to show respect upon entry by washing her hands and mouth with the little ladle that was filled by the spring water at the Temizuya (though Seto highly doubted at this point it was actual spring water). Wash the left hand, then the right, then the mouth from the left, and finally the left again.

"Do I have to drink it?" Kisara asked, quietly.

"You don't have to drink it, just swirl it in your mouth," Seto explained.

"But you're not even doing that!" She exclaimed as she watched him bring his lips to his left hand, but do nothing.

"You think I'm putting this water in my mouth?" Seto said under his breath, nudging her side to get on with it.

"Then why do you want me to?" She asked laughing.

"You don't have to be a "Mizaru" all the time," Seto said quietly, referring to one of the three monkeys at Toshogu in Nikko, "And you know, we're at a shrine, you should be quiet."

Kisara pouted, "No one else is quiet."

And it was true, it was loud with so many people.

"Everyone else is obnoxious," He shot back.

Kisara ended up snickering as they finished the ritual and continued their way up to the thousands of bright red-orange torii gates that the shrine was known for. Whereas Seto had been there a couple times before and was fine with just going at a steady pace, the more she saw, the more eager Kisara became to see more, her pace quickening with each step. At one point where the torii gates branched into two separate directions, they found themselves stepping aside as two kids, sister and brother it seemed, ran and laughed their way through the two lines of gates in a continuing circle.

"Do they meet up again at some point?" Kisara asked.

"I think so, not far up again..." Seto trailed off.

"Can we go both ways?"

"How is it possible for you to have that much energy? No, we're going to be walking most of the day," Seto told her.

"Fine, can I?" She asked.

Seto shrugged and Kisara beamed, running up ahead to the left and out of sight. It was like a perfect picture that he had wished he had caught. Seto rolled his eyes and steadily followed, when it occurred to him that she would eventually end up at the same place as where they had started. He turned around to see only other tourists following him down the long square orange tube, so he stopped to wait, during which he took his phone out to snap a photo or two. Mokuba would want to see later... It didn't take long though, maybe three minutes at most for Kisara to come back around, laughing, when Seto found himself snapping a picture of her running up. She leaned over and breathed heavily as she caught her breath.

"Why'd... you move?" She asked.

"What, I'm supposed to stay there?" Seto asked back.

"Well, yeah!" She said, standing up, "What if I had gotten lost?"

"You wouldn't have gotten lost. You knew we were heading up this way," Seto told her.

"Fine, touche," She said, when she saw the screen of his phone, "What's that?"

"Huh?"

"Did you take a picture of me?"

"No."

"Yes, you did, I want to see," She said, reaching for the phone, capturing a peak of it before Seto shut it off, his cheeks becoming slightly red, "I like it."

"It was an accident," He said.

"But you can take pictures here?" She asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Seto responded.

"Well, it's a shrine; it's holy right?" Kisara continued, "I thought you couldn't do that in places like this."

"Depends on the place. Here it's okay," Seto said.

"Can we take more?" She asked.

Seto shrugged in a lackluster manner, "If you want, I guess, but we have to keep moving if we're going to see everything today."

Kisara laughed and nodded in agreement as they continued on their way. She wasn't sure if she'd ever keep these pictures, but it was fun to take them. As they made their way through the gates, talking about the history of the location, the old kanji used that Kisara wasn't familiar with, and the many kitsune messenger statues they saw, they took pictures and stopped at little alcoves off of the gates' paths to see miniature shrines. Finally, the ascent began a downward trail and they found themselves crossing bridges over creeks and heading towards the entrance/exit.

"So why are there so many torii gates?" Kisara asked, after posing with one of the foxes.

"They're either a bid for wishes of some kind to be granted or a gift of gratitude for a wish being granted," Seto supplied, as they walked down towards the exit.

Kisara nodded, "That's a lot of wishes."

"Yeah... and a lot of money," Seto remarked, as they walked down the steps.

Looking to her left as they walked, a colorful display of paper caught Kisara's eye, each piece folded in the same intricate way, "What are those?"

Seto glanced over to the direction of where she was pointing, "Paper cranes, thousands of them."

"What's their significance?" She asked.

"More wishes," Seto said, "The pervading legend is that if you fold a thousand paper cranes, you'll be granted a wish."

"So this place is all about wishes and dreams then," Kisara said thoughtfully, "That's really nice."

Seto shrugged, "I suppose. Waste of time though."

"I don't think it's a waste," Kisara argued, "What's wrong with wishing, wanting something? Surely you've wished for something before."

Seto stopped in his tracks and looked at her, surprised at the question. Normally, he'd brush it off, but for some reason, probably because Kisara wasn't pestering him like Yugi or his friends normally did, he thought it over.

"I have..." He said slowly, as his gaze met the entrance gates of the shrine, "In the past. But I didn't fold a thousand cranes or donate a torii gate in my quest for them. I went out and made it happen myself, because nothing happens if you don't act. It's not going to just come to you like some Disney fairytale."

"That's very admirable of you," Kisara replied, earning a turn of his head back to her, surprised that she didn't seem crushed by the statement, like one might expect, "You had a wish and you made it happen."

Seto nodded, uncomfortably at the compliment, "Yeah... I guess."

"Do you have a current dream now?" She asked as they continued walking.

"Not... really..." Seto said slowly, "I've wanted to beat Yugi in a duel for the longest time. But he won't duel anymore... not competitively, only if his flamboyant master calls. And Pegasus, for whatever reason, isn't interested in having us duel. So... I don't really know anymore."

"Hmm... maybe the people who folded the cranes were at that stage..." She contemplated, earning a look from Seto to elaborate, "I mean, maybe there was nothing more they could do, you know? So these could have been all silent pleas for help with something beyond their control."

"That's awfully optimistic that every single one of these was donated by someone who couldn't do anything about it," Seto responded.

"Well, why think poorly of people you never knew?" She said, "Besides, it makes them more relatable, doesn't it?"

"Are you saying that I should be like these people who wasted their money on superstitions?" Seto asked.

"No, just that, they may have felt similar feelings to those that you have about your wishes," Kisara answered.

"Alright then, enough about my wishes," Seto said, turning the subject around, "What's your wish then?"

Passing by the large torii gate at the entrance, leaving the shrine and shrine maidens who had been scurrying about behind, Kisara thought over the question carefully, before responding.

"I want to find my home," She said.

"Your home?" Seto repeated, stopping and looking at her.

Kisara nodded, "I want to find the place that I'm meant to be. Whether that be with family or friends or a loved one or even... all alone. I want to serve my role in this world in the best way that I can."

There was a pause as Seto took in her words. She shrugged quietly and nodded over towards the way to the station. They walked quietly towards the train that had brought them there, when Kisara continued, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the conversation down."

"You didn't," Seto said as they swiped their passes, "It's... completely understandable, but you know... life isn't just about serving a role or enduring or something, it's about..."

"About what?" She said as the train came by whistling past them to its appointed stopping point.

Seto looked at her, speechlessly, as the sound of the train died, "Nothing, you should just... you should enjoy yourself too."

Surprised at the statement, but happy, Kisara nodded with a smile. They rode back up north via the Nara train line to Kyoto Station where they hailed a cab to get them up to Kinkaku-ji, another tourist trap, in Seto's mind. Getting there took more time than expected though due to traffic. In that regard, he was grateful that they weren't taking a bus even when they got out and the cab bill was at least 5000 yen, which Seto happily paid. The busses had too many people and were too hot and stuffy. A cab suited him just fine.

Walking up the slope to Kinkaku-ji, they purchased entry tickets and stood in line to get in. While the wait took a while, considering there were so many people and the shrine was counting exiting visitors and entering, Kisara seemed to take the wait fine, much better than Seto anyway, who kept looking at his phone for the time and silently simmering. He was just about to see if he could use an... incentive to get them in faster, when they were allowed in with a large group and the wait became worth it. Not because of the grand golden temple before them, but because of Kisara's reaction. Her eyes lit up in amazement and she nearly ran to an opening in the fence, leaning over the edge to get a better look. If it wasn't for the fact that she didn't think she should climb the fence, she might have just jumped over.

"It's glorious!" She exclaimed, turning back to see him, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe something like this exists! Is it all real gold?"

"Well, the exterior anyway," Seto said, "They didn't build it out of gold, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh my gosh, it's still beautiful though! What is that, a bird on top?"

"A phoenix supposedly, yes," Seto said.

"Can we take a picture, oh wow, this place is so beautiful," She said, bouncing on her toes in excitement.

Seto rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, ready to take her picture for about the 100th time it felt like that day, when she lowered her two peace signs and stopped smiling at him, "What?"

"I meant take one together," She said.

"Huh?" He said, "Uh, no, it's fine. Now smile."

"But we didn't take any with you in it at Fushimi Inari Taisha," Kisara pouted.

"I'm fine, really," Seto said, "Besides, I'm not handing over my phone to someone; it has my deck and business notes in it."

"Then we'll take it ourselves," Kisara said, beckoning him over, "Come on, you said life is about more than just enduring remember?"

Seto sighed and walked over, holding the phone out in front of them. As he clicked the photo with his thumb, he wasn't sure if he'd consider this enjoying himself until he looked at the photo of the two of them. His chest swelled a bit, seeing Kisara's rosy cheeks and smiling wide in front of the Golden Pavilion with him off by her side, but he quickly stowed his phone in his pocket as they continued to walk around, closer to the temple and then around the way seeing the gardens behind on the path. It was probably the shortest part of the day, though Kisara found herself still looking back every now and then at the gold building, smiling wide at the brilliance of it.

It was different than the brilliance of the mammoth buildings of Egypt. It was big, but not too big, tall, but not too tall. Modestly decked out in splendor, reflecting its face into the water. She couldn't believe that she was seeing something so beautiful and marvelous, probably very iconic... No matter the season, be it summer, fall, winter, or spring, she felt it would always be grand, so much so, that just being in its presence made her feel capable of floating.

The path though soon led them out and they walked back to the main road to hail a cab, which they took almost to Ginkaku-ji. During the ride, Seto explained the difference between temples and shrines, Shintoism and Buddhism, and the concept of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, all of which Kisara found herself fascinated with.

"So there are structures all around the world that are 'World Heritage Sites'?" She asked, "How many? Are they as big as Kinkaku-ji?"

"Some are bigger," Seto said, "Like Fuji-san; that's a natural one, but still, you get the point."

"Can you imagine seeing them all?" Kisara said, "I wonder how long that would take."

"Years, probably," Seto supplemented, when a growl could be heard resonating from Kisara's stomach, "You hungry?"

Kisara tilted her head and laughed, "I guess, I wasn't even thinking about food."

"There are places to buy snacks on the way up to the temple," He said.

Shortly thereafter, they found themselves at the base of the road leading up to Ginkaku-ji. Hundreds of people it seemed swarmed the area, many in yukata, buying omiyage, kyogashi, and apparel. There were also a good number of gaijin, which Seto explained to Kisara as 'foreigners', allowing for a variety of languages to be heard as people talked amongst themselves. About halfway to the top, Seto spotted a little shop and motioned for Kisara to follow him in.

"Have you ever had Nama Yatsuhashi?" He asked.

Kisara shook her head 'no', "What are they like?"

"They're a snack, kinda sweet, but mild. You wanna try one? It might hold you over till dinner," He said.

Kisara nodded and Seto treated her to a basic Nama Yatsuhashi. Taking it in a paper sleeve, Kisara looked over the pale triangle. It had a gooey consistency and was slightly transparent. In the center, inside she supposed was a dark maroon filling of some kind. Shrugging and taking a bite, her eyes widened at the taste.

"Hmm! Delicious!" She said, quickly taking another bite, "Oh this is so good; is this anko inside?"

"Yeah, they have different flavors, but this is one of the most basic," He said, as they exited and began to walk up the hill, "Even more basic is probably nikki or cinnamon."

"Oh, could I try more on the way back? Don't worry, I'll pay for myself," She added.

"I brought you on this trip, I can pay. Don't be ridiculous; it's no big deal," Seto chastised.

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts," It was like talking to Mokuba when he wanted something. Seto laughed in his head at the comparison.

In contrast with the Golden Pavilion that was Kinkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji, was much less crowded and quieter. Again, purchasing tickets and proceeding in, this time they were met by a gravel sidewalk that lead them past a small rock garden on their left and a traditionally styled building to their left to a slightly low entryway. Seto had to duck his head in order to not hit it with his head, but he was pleased to find that people were much more level headed and quieter here as they were met with the scenic side of the forested mountain. Directly in front of them, a sand-like rock garden flowed in almost waves from one end to another where a peak of meticulous detail rose out to what could only be meant to represent Fuji-san, behind which, the ever more subtle Ginkaku-ji stood proudly amongst the foliage in front of a pond. It was a genuine staple of the classic 'wabi-sabi' style of the era it was built in, allowing for a feeling of zen to overcome the visitors. Sensing the quiet nature of the site, the two didn't talk much and rather simply took in the scenery around them.

As they walked through the quiet little reserve in which the earth seemed bound by simplicity, Kisara found every reason to be in quiet awe. From the cranes painted on the sliding fusuma doors to the bamboo fences that led them up the hills, all the while carefully cradling little pools of water in their centers; it was a true display of perfect, imperfect balance in nature. A few times, they crossed the pools and streams on stone paths, from which she could see, much to her delight, large koi fish swimming from one side to the other, their orange skins dotted with black and white scales creating different intricate patterns on each one. And while it didn't hold the same grandeur of Kinkaku-ji, Kisara felt content seeing every bit of the garden surrounding the modest, but spectacular temple. There was the occasion though, when her gaze would wander from the natural beauties around her to her companion who, albeit, sometimes trailing a bit behind her at a much more even pace, seemed at a perfect kind of peace.

"Are you enjoying it?" She asked.

Seto shrugged, "I'm not really one for historical places. But the serenity of it all... is a nice change."

Kisara turned her head, hiding a little smile that seemed born from a little warm flutter in her chest, that she was sure came from knowing that it wasn't boring or unbearable, nay even a bit enjoyable for the CEO... whatever it meant to be a CEO. As they came around the bend of the temple and exited, little omiyage shops busy with tourists created a louder kind of hustle and bustle. When they came back to the little sweet shop, Kisara hopped in and began looking over the various flavors that she had missed before of the Nama-Yatsuhashi. From the Nikki and Anko, there were also Green Teas, Black Sesame, Strawberry, Peach, Mango, Yuzu, Chocolate and even Ramune. She felt a little overloaded, but decided, hoping not to keep Seto waiting, on the Peach, Mango, and Chocolate. She smiled bringing her purchase up to the counter.

"820 yen," Came the total.

Digging into her purse, Kisara had just grabbed her little coin purse when an arm reached over her.

"Keep the change," Seto said, uninterested in the worker's immediate instinct to protest.

"Hey, I said I can pay," Kisara said, as though offended.

"And I said don't be ridiculous," Seto said, exiting the shop, like it was nothing.

Kisara stood flabbergasted when the store worker offered her the bag, bringing her out of her trance. She took the bag with a slight bow and ran off after Seto. Looking up and down the street, she saw him already on his way, hands in his pockets, walking back to the main road. Pursing her lips, Kisara ran forward, watching her step so as not to trip until she had firmly planted herself right in front of him with an unmistakable glare.

"What?" He asked.

"I said I could pay, you didn't have to do that," Kisara said simply, pulling out a 1,000 yen bill. It was 180 yen more than she was originally going to pay, but he'd given the shop owner 1,000 so...

Seto looked at the bill in question, "And I said it's no big deal."

He moved to keep going, when Kisara moved to block him, "Kisara."

"Seto, I know you're... better off than most people, but you don't have to cover everything. Will you please let me take care of what I can?" Kisara asked.

Seto rolled his eyes, "Does this really matter?"

"Yes," She said, "I... I don't want to take advantage... of your kindness. So please. I can take care of myself."

Seto's eyes raised slightly at the statement. No one, not anyone, aside from his brother maybe, had ever called him "kind". He looked over Kisara, whose cheeks were a shimmering red, the same red that matched the sides of her arms. He glanced to his side, seeing a shop, and then back to Kisara.

"Fine," He said, taking the 1000 yen bill, and walking over to the store, leaving Kisara in confusion.

He took a tan and pink straw sunhat off the rack, "Hey, how much?"

The shopkeeper looked up, "1000 yen."

"Thanks," Seto said, placing the 1000 yen bill on the counter and walking off back to Kisara.

"Uh... hey, wait, uh..."

Seto heard the shopkeeper's surprise, but paid him no heed, when he placed the hat firmly on Kisara's head, who blinked up at him with a sound of surprise.

"If you can take care of yourself then don't go off getting burned," Seto said shortly, before continuing.

Kisara brought a hand up to her cheeks and felt the heat being absorbed by her skin, but in that moment, she felt certain that it couldn't just be from a sunburn. She turned to see Seto once again ahead of her. She pulled down on the sides of the hat and bit her lip, as a reluctant little curve of her lips occurred and she ran off down after him. As they reached the end of the road, instead of hailing a cab like she expected, Seto turned off to the left and they made their way down a side stone path adjacent to a canal with stone sides laid in a perfect criss-cross pattern. Short little trees covered them from above and they could hear the trickling of the water run past them.

As they walked by other omiyage shops and kyogashi stores, Kisara pulled out her Nama Yatsuhashi one by one, nibbling on them as they talked. Seto explained that this was the Philosopher's Path and that all of these trees were actually Cherry Blossom trees, though they weren't in bloom. It was said to be the trail of Nishida Kitaro, a famous philosopher, during his meditations, thus its name. He would have continued talking, if Kisara hadn't on occasion, when she found one of the nama yatsuhashi to have a particularly interesting or good taste, offer him a bite. Her favorite was the pink strawberry, which, after a bite, he had instantly made a face as though it was sour and told her that it was 'too sweet' for him. She laughed, but when she tried the blue ramune and found it to have a particularly "interesting flavor", she let him try it, expecting confirmation, though instead got an oddly 'passable' answer. In the end, Seto ended up eating the rest of the ramune, which Kisara suspected he actually rather liked, for her.

Further down the trail, the path got quieter, allowing for a more mellow walk, despite there still being preparation underway for that night, where they could relax. Stuffing the empty bag in her purse and making note to get rid of it when she found a trash can, which might have to wait till dinner, Kisara's eyes wandered to her arms, which were, indeed, a little red. She pulled down the sides of the hat again and smiled to herself, when she noticed the watch on her wrist. She still had to give it back, but after their little... spat, as Tea would say, she was hesitant to bring it up just yet.

She felt a redness come back to her face and inwardly groaned at the blush. He was too good to her... and as they continued, she found herself longing to lean against his arm as her feet began to tingle a bit with numbness from walking for so long. But at the realization, she repressed the urge to do so and instead pulled down harder on the hat as she turned beat red in hopes that Seto wouldn't notice and that the action would somehow berate herself for such a thought. She couldn't... she couldn't really be liking him... could she?

"You're going to break it if you keep doing that," Seto scolded, interrupting his mentioning of where one of the Daimonji characters would be lit to their left.

"Huh? Oh..." She let go, but kept her head down, thanking her lucky stars that Seto was in fact so tall and thus likely hadn't seen her expression.

But while Seto's genetics seemed to be on her side, her mind, it seemed, did not as it continually seemed to crawl back to a little cavern in her mind that attempted to imagine the sensation of holding his hand, keeping the red on her face. She prayed that he'd just think it was just a sunburn. Ending the walk in the Nanzenji neighborhood, Seto hailed a cab to take them to the Higashiyama District. During the whole ride, Kisara made certain to keep to herself as though even touching Seto would turn her into a pillar of salt, not that Seto noticed.

The longer they were in the car though, the slower it seemed to move, waiting upon pedestrians who seemed less inclined to avoid J-walking as time went by. At some point, Seto seemed fed up with it enough to say something.

"We'll get out here," He called up.

Taking out a silver credit card, he quickly inserted the chip and paid while Kisara waited, her own awkwardness retreating as loud noises outside distracted her from her current predicament.

As the cab doors opened automatically and they reached the pavement, Kisara found herself suddenly engulfed in a massive amount of people, much like that one time in the shopping mall. It was so disconcerting, that the fact that Seto was so tall and she could easily pick him out in the crowd gave her a sense of relief.

"Kisara, this way," He said.

She nodded and followed after. While the crowd seemed to follow a general flow that allowed her to keep up, the sheer number of people out was comparable to the crowds that would be in the market place outside of the Pharaoh's palace. So when Seto stopped at the bottom of the steps to a shrine that headed a large street down the way, Kisara felt relief wash over her.

Seto glanced up at the top of the steps where the entrance was, "This is Yasaka shrine; it's very important for the Gion District. It's really crowded though, so we can try to get in if you want, but I'm not sure we'll really be able to see anything."

Kisara peaked up ahead as well, standing on her tiptoes, "What makes it so important?"

"It's where the Mikoshi is held that is carried during the Gion Festival in July," Seto explained, as they heard bells ring inside "They also have a large stage and a number of bells which they say you can ring and call upon the gods with."

Kisara found herself unable to stand on her tiptoes anymore and dropped down to the soles of her feet, "Why do they call them to the shrine?"

Seto shrugged, "Same reason they build torii gates, for wishes."

Kisara nodded, "Well, in that case, it is really crowded; I don't need to go in. I can ring the bells next time."

"You sure?" Seto asked.

Again, Kisara gave a brief, definitive nod, "Yes, unless you want to go in and ring them."

Seto watched her for a moment, surprised, when he shook his head, "No, I'm alright. We can walk through Gion before dinner then."

The two began to make their way down the street, away from the shrine, though the people made it difficult to move about with ease. Kisara found herself tripping over her own two feet as she tried to keep up with Seto, when a crack in the street caught her toe and she gasped, falling forward. She expected to hit the ground when a hand caught her and she stumbled back.

"You okay?"

Kisara looked up to see Seto and immediately found her face growing red again, her mouth unrelenting in its silence. So she did the only thing she could do, nod in affirmation. Her gaze trailed down to her hand, which was exactly where she had imagined it earlier, in his, which held hers with a gentleness and strength, the likes of which she felt... were very unfamiliar, but welcome all at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm alright," She muttered.

It was at this point though that Seto recognized what he was doing and let her hand go. Holding her hand, how forward could he be? He mentally berated himself. What was this the second time? Third time? He did turn back because he saw her falling behind, but... he turned away towards Hanamikoji, the upcoming street on their left.

"Alright, let's go," He muttered.

Slowing his pace a bit, he made sure the two of them were side by side even as the crowds swarmed their way around the shops around them. Rubbing the back of his neck, he found himself hoping that she hadn't thought that had been awkward or unwarranted or worse, unwanted. He checked his phone for the time. It was five. Three more hours. He could do that. He was sure he could do that.

But then again, he really wasn't.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So for those curious, I'll be posting a "One Day Kyoto Tour" article on my blog detailing how to do and see everything that Seto and Kisara are doing on their date while in Kyoto. Granted, They are doing a lot, but if you do go by cab (and train and bus), it is very possible to do all this (though to be fair, it's a stretch to do it during Gozan no Okuribi). You can find my blog on my website www . skywingknights . com . In anycase, I hope you can forgive me for the delay in the update - I'll be better next time. Till then, have a great day and don't forget to spread some joy!

Later,

~Rena


	18. Chapter 18: 五山の送り火 (Gozan no Okuribi)

**Disclaimer:** Still writing these? Alright. I own nothing. Wait that's not true; I own a sewing machine and a laptop

 **Author's Note:** Sorry everyone, wanted to get this out the first week of the month, but… things happened. There was a death in the family that was pretty close to me, so I've been assisting with the upcoming funeral. (Miraculously, this was almost complete when I got the news, so I was able to edit this and finish it during some down time). Not sure what will happen coming up in regards to my time, but in anycase, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Onto the story then…

 ** _Terms -_**

 _Kanzashi -_ Traditional Japanese Hair Ornaments; there are many kinds - my personal favorites are "Hana Kanzashi" which often involve textured fabrics folded into flowers that dangle on strings from the base comb piece that is stuck into the hair, a bit like a wisteria - so that's what I picture Tea wearing here.

 _Ikayaki_ \- Grilled Squid with soy sauce on top. In this case, Joey's referring to a grilled tentacle on a stick that's popularly available at Japanese festivals

 _Smoking sections in Restaurants_ \- It's very common in Japan for there to be smoking and non-smoking sections that are not necessarily blocked off from each other (some are, some are not). In cases where they are not, smoke can easily spill over into other areas of the restaurant.

 _Bon Odori_ \- Lit 'Bon Dance' meant to welcome the spirits of the dead during Obon - styles vary from region to region in Japan.

 _Kamo River_ \- (Also known as the Kamogawa) the primary river running north to south in Kyoto.

 _Takano River_ \- A river that breaks off from the Kamo river and heads east, up the mountain side. The fork of these two rivers is an iconic spot in Kyoto close to the Shimogamo Shrine.

Today's Chapter Title is the name of an annual event held in Kyoto at the end of Obon and literally means "The Five Mountain's Send Off Fire"

 **-YGO-**

 _"'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love_

 _Not knowing what it was, I will not give you up this time_

 _Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms_

 _Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song_

 _When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath_

 _But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight"_

-"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

 **Chapter Eighteen:** **五山の送り火** **(Gozan no Okuribi)**

Kicking his motorcycle into high speed, Tristan did what he rarely thought logical and weaved between traffic. He was so late. Turning off the speedway, Tristan followed the overpass down to street level and took a turn that technically he shouldn't have. He winced hoping no cameras caught him.

At least he was close to Chuo-koen now. Just a little farther and he'd get to the game shop. There! It was in his line of sight. He brought his bike around and parked, just before the crosswalk. He let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to hear the end of this from Joey. And Serenity! He let out a regret filled groan. Screw Joey. Serenity though... He pulled off his helmet.

"Tristan?"

The sound of his name made him nearly jump out of his skin. He turned around to see a face he hadn't expected.

"Bakura?"

Bakura smiled, "Yeah, long time no see. How have you been?"

Tristan looked Bakura up and down, his conversation with Yugi from the other night still fresh in his mind, "Uh, fine, man. How about you? Still fighting off all the women?"

Bakura shrugged with an embarrassed sort of expression, "Uh... sort of. Doing alright I guess. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you though."

"No no, no worries," Tristan said, "Just... wow it's been a while. I thought you were in Europe or something."

"I was, but I got called back to Japan by Pegasus," Bakura explained, "I've been working with Yugi the past week or so on that disaster that happen at the gala... Yugi didn't tell you?"

"No," Tristan lied, hating himself because he was pretty sure he had about the worst poker face in the world, "He didn't mention it... so then... are you here for the festival?"

"Kinda," Bakura told him, "Also just revisiting old places, the nostalgia of it all, you know. Haven't had the chance, Pegasus is a slave driver."

"That's... an appropriate comparison..." Tristan said slowly, not sure if it was or not. Accurate, probably, but appropriate...

"Are you on your way to see Yugi and the gang?" Bakura asked, breaking Tristan's train of thought.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, we were all gonna go to the Obon festivities in the park like old times... want to join us?" He added as a bit of an afterthought, but immediately regretted the wording. To be fair though, Bakura had sort of cornered him into it.

"Sure! Are you all meeting up at the game shop first?" Bakura replied, a warm smile on his face, "Are you going there right now?"

"Yeah, uh, and actually, if you're going to come, let's go now. Serenity will likely hit me for every additional minute that I'm late," Tristan said, thankful for a reason to move towards the game shop.

Inside his destination, Yugi continued to fume, albeit, as quietly as he could. He had gotten the rundown. That Kisara had been having lunch with Kaiba for over a week now. That Kaiba had practically smacked Joey whilst taking responsibility for Kisara's tardiness, or so Joey claimed anyway. And that instead of joining them for the Obon festivities, they were instead on what might be a date in perhaps one of the most popular cities in Japan during the Obon season, Kyoto. Yeah, all of that.

Joey served up a plate of an almost American-sized Yakisoba Pan and sat it in front of Yugi, who didn't touch it. Joey rolled his eyes.

"I don't see why you're in such a sour mood," Joey said, sitting down and pulling out his current deck to look over it, "I mean, I don't like it any more than you do; Kaiba's a prick and I don't know why she's spending time with him, but you don't have to throw a hissy fit about it."

"I'm not throwing a hissy fit," Yugi muttered, glaring at his plate.

"You're about as bad as Tea is when she's on her period," Joey told him, when Yugi swiped away one of Joey's cards, the Time Wizard, "Oi!"

"Joey, what you don't seem to get is that there's a lot more at stake here," Yugi said, "It's a lot more precarious then a simple flip of the coin."

"Alright, oh mighty game king," Joey started, grabbing his card back, "Do elaborate for me so that I may learn of your stratagems."

"Joey, stop," Yugi said, not in the mood for the 'Game King' crap he was spewing.

"No, you stop," Joey said, "Unless you've got a good reason that you care to explain to us as to why you're in such a tizzy, then you gotta lighten up."

"Joey, you should know better than anyone; Kaiba's got a temper. He's meticulous and judgmental. And worse, he suspicious of everyone and everything. He treats everyone like an enemy and I'm trying to figure out a way to convince him that he can trust me on this in order to get his help. Kisara becoming friends with him before we explain anything will just make it so that when we do say something to him, he's going to think we're trying to use him," Yugi said, all of his worries spilling out.

Joey shrugged, "Kinda sounds like you want to do that anyway."

"No, I don't want his money, I just might need... I don't know; his cooperation. We might need him to send her home," Yugi explained.

A silence followed, broken only by Joey opening his drink, "You really think you can get him to help send her home?"

Yugi replied sarcastically, "Well, I'm not so sure anymore... I just, if I were in his position, I would think that she was using me."

"Ha, that is just like Kaiba when you put it like that," Joey remarked, "So what's the plan?"

Yugi brought his head down on the table again, muttering, "I don't have one."

"What? Sure you do," Joey said, "You're the Game King, you can figure this out."

"Joey, I'm not the 'Game King'," Yugi complained, "Atem was the Game King."

"And you took on that mantle when you beat him," Joey responded, before eyeing his friend suspiciously.

"What?" Yugi said, looking up after a moment of silence.

Joey shrugged, taking a sip of his Pocari Sweat, "Nothin'. Just... why are you so against that title? I woulda thought it'd make you happy, but for the last four years, I haven't seen you once take pride in it. Maybe briefly when you beat Atem, but..."

The Game Store manager watched his friend quietly contemplate an answer, the only sound a quiet roll of chopsticks as Yugi pushed them back and forth with a finger.

"It's... I just, I don't know. I don't feel good enough for that title, Joey," He muttered.

"Hey, man, just because you haven't played in a while, doesn't mean you've lost it or-"

"No, no, just... I don't know," Yugi said finally, "But I don't feel like a 'Game King'."

"Then what do you feel like?" Joey asked.

Yugi sighed, "I don't know... just, myself I guess."

Joey took a sip again, "Well, in my humble opinion, you are a 'Game King'. You don't have to be born a pharaoh to undertake that title, you know. You just gotta beat every game before you and to my knowledge, you haven't lost a game since then, so..."

"Yeah, and at this rate, I'm going to lose this game when it comes to Kisara and any leads on reaching Atem again..." Yugi said.

"Why would you lose in regards to finding-"

"Hey guys!" Tristan said, coming in from the side door, "Look who I found!"

Yugi and Joey turned and what they saw made Yugi's stomach feel like it had dropped out of him.

"Hey! Bakura, man, long time no see! How's it been?" Joey said standing up and running over to give Ryo a tackle hug.

"Uff, it's been, it's been alright," Bakura said laughing, through the hug.

Behind him, Tristan eyed Yugi whose own eyes were so big one might think they were back in high school. Mouthing a quick _'What's he doing here?'_ got him a shrug of apology from a defeated spirit. Yugi sighed and stood up as well.

"When'd ya get back in town?" Joey said, "Were you planning on surprising us?"

"Uh, no, I uh, I thought Yugi would have told you," Bakura said, "We've been working together for the past week or so."

"What?!" Joey exclaimed, "Yugi, when were you plannin' on telling us man?!"

Yugi found himself stiff, as though attached to the floor boards he was standing on, "I... wanted it to be a surprise..."

"Well, you both really pulled one over on us, right Tristan?" Joey said.

Tristan nodded, trying to communicate with telepathy to Yugi, who seemed unable to focus on anything other than what Tristan could only suppose Yugi saw as the opponent in front of him.

"Is it just going to be you three today?" Bakura asked, "No girls?"

"Well, Tea's changing right now and Serenity should be here shortly," Joey started.

"Wait, she's not here yet?" Tristan asked, a kind of irritated moan escaping him.

"Naw, she slept in a bit late," Joey said, "Anyway though, she'll be along and Kisara won't be joining us today; she got other plans."

"Kisara?" Bakura repeated and if Yugi could get any more horrified than he already was, he would have at that simple question.

"Yeah, oh wait, yeah, you haven't met her yet," Joey said, "Real cutie. She's been working at the store lately, helping out and stuff; got this smoking hot long white hair and-"

"She's been a big help," Yugi said, finally cutting Joey off.

"Oh," Bakura replied, "Well, perhaps I'll meet her next time then."

"Yeah, for sure," Joey said, "Just stop on by anytime and you'll probably see her. She's been rooming with-"

"Bakura?!"

The four boys turned to see Tea coming down from upstairs in a beautiful floral Yukata, her hair up in a bun with a stunning purple and white set of Kanzashi trailing down from her locks, stopping just short of her shoulder. While the other three boys smiled, Yugi found himself unable to move, but this time, for a completely different reason. She was beautiful.

"Tea," He said, after swallowing.

"Looking good girl," Joey said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Wha.. wait, Bakura, what are you doing here?" She asked, rushing down the steps and past Yugi to give her friend a hug.

"I was in town and I thought I'd stop by," Bakura said, receiving the hug warmly.

"So glad you did!" She exclaimed, "Are you going to join us for the festival?"

"I can, if that's alright," Bakura answered, "You look wonderful by the way."

"Aw, thanks!"

"Of course it is man!" Joey inserted, "But you better be prepared for an ikayaki eating contest."

"I am not doing that again this year!" Tristan snapped.

"Oh, because you lost last year?" Joey asked.

"Because we both threw up last year," Tristan corrected.

As the boys continued to argue, somewhat only encouraged by Tea's laughter, Yugi watched quietly in the background. When Tea turned back and smiled at him, he found himself completely caught off guard though.

"You ready to go down to the river then, Yugi?" She asked.

He nodded slowly as the group all made their way towards the door to get their shoes on. Waiting until everyone else had gotten theirs on, Yugi sat down and slipped his boots on. When a shadow appeared above him though, he found himself looking up to see Tea again smiling.

"Come on, we're gonna be late," She said, holding a hand out to help him up.

He paused, looking at her hand and then up to her again. Slowly, he took it and came up to his full height with her help. As the group exited and began to make their way to the river for the beginning of the night's festivities, he listened, watching mostly from behind as Joey, Tea, and Tristan argued, laughed, and talked with Bakura. At some point, he could have sworn though that Bakura had glanced back at him ominously, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe it was just his own mind playing games...

Yes, he hadn't been defeated in a game in four years. Yes, Atem had passed on the title to him. But no, he certainly did not feel like a "Game King". Game Kings always knew what to do. They always knew what cards to play. They always knew how to direct a situation in the way they wanted it to go. And here he was, completely and one hundred percent, out of the loop, lost, and unsure of what to do. He closed his eyes briefly as they walked.

 _'Could really use your help here, Yami,'_ He thought.

But like every time before, Atem was nowhere to be found and Yugi knew that he was on his own.

 **-YGO-**

Turning down Hanamikoji, Kisara's eyes were met with a new time period. Unlike the sleek chrome and concrete that seemed to coat much of the futuristic world that she was in, this street seemed to utilize the simplistic smoothness of sanded cherry wood to enhance the decor of the exteriors of the buildings surrounding them. In many ways, it was similar to the style of buildings that she had seen at Ginkaku-ji, but not as elaborate. All around them, cameras clicked and people peaked around trying to get a better view of the stone path they walked down.

Seto watched as Kisara looked around, peering through the spaces between pedestrians to see the path they were on. Her eyes seemed completely entranced by what was around them. While part of himself was relieved by that, knowing she likely had dismissed his forwardness earlier for chivalry, a sense of obligation took hold of him as she spotted a crowd of people clicking away as a woman in a pink, green, and gold kimono, white face makeup base, and hair up in a perfect bun revealing the back of her neck emerged through an alleyway to cross the road to another building.

"This is the Gion District," He elaborated, "It's famous for the Geiko, or Geisha, here. That one looks like a Maiko though, not a full fledged Geisha."

"Gei- what?" Kisara asked, turning to him.

Seto eyed her with scrutiny, "You're kidding, really?"

Kisara shrugged apologetically and Seto sighed, "They're famous for the upholding the art of traditional Japanese entertainment and hostessing."

Kisara nodded slowly, "Oh... what kind of entertainment?"

Seto shrugged, "Conversation, music, dance, games... I don't remember it all. Last time I was here I remember going with my step-father and some of his associates. It's uncommon to actually be entertained by a Geisha. You have to have connections..."

Connections. It sounded like a seating at the Pharaoh's court, she thought, when a realization hit her, "You have a step-father?"

Suddenly, Seto straightened up, realizing this was the first time he had even mentioned Gozoboro to Kisara. He hadn't even thought about it really. Normally everyone seemed familiar with the history of the Kaiba family lineage. But Kisara...

"I did," Seto said, "He's dead now."

Kisara's eyes raised, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Seto told her, "He was a slave driver."

"A... slave driver?" Kisara repeated, not sure if Seto was being literal or not.

"Just a wretched man," Seto explained, not catching her uncertainty, "A tyrant, but even tyrants have connections. That's how we ended up going that one time. But still, it was awkward."

"Why?" Kisara asked, hesitantly.

"They got drunk and were very loud, my step father and his associates that is," Seto clarified, "I was about thirteen or so, so I didn't drink. The Geisha were very hospitable, but it was an embarrassment to me nonetheless. I mean, here was this CEO of a weapons manufacturing company drunk with his colleagues, if you could call them that."

Weapons Manufacturing company? She thought Seto's company specialized in games, but before she could ask, he continued.

"There were times where my step-father would nearly overstep his bounds, but thankfully, I think the Geisha were used to that and somehow gracefully avoided the situation... honestly if I wasn't watching so closely, I don't think I would have noticed. In that regard, it was fascinating to watch them, like they were guiding puppets through the course of a dinner and evening without their knowledge," Seto mused.

Despite the crowds around them, a quietness enveloped the two of them as they walked. Finally, Seto spoke again, "I don't think you'll see any Geisha here today though. It's too crowded. But that's why I haven't and still don't drink. I don't want to be in that kind of situation, at the mercy of a puppeteer."

"It seems you learned from his mistakes then," Kisara said, as she stepped lightly over the stone pathway.

Seto smirked, "I prefer to think of it as took advantage of them."

Kisara tilted her head at the phrase, a bit confused, but let the conversation drop as they walked. There were many young women out now in yukata, their hair up in buns and decorated to hold curls where naturally there would be none. Again, her hands in the silence, found the strands of her own hair in front of her and began mindlessly brushing them through the gaps. Seto swallowed, wondering if he shouldn't have brought up his step-father at all, when a noise met their ears. That of a growl that came from his own stomach, much to Seto's own surprise. Kisara looked over and up at him, her eyes wide, before a funny grin overcame her and she laughed.

"I don't have any more yatsuhashi," She laughed.

Seto blushed, but tried to brush it off, "Let's find somewhere to eat."

It didn't take long for them to find a nice restaurant, but it did take them a long time to find one that was not already backed up around the corner with people waiting. Everywhere they looked in Gion, it was packed. Eventually, Seto pulled out his phone and searched through a list of restaurants that Isono kept on hand anytime they went out of Domino for business. Making a quick call to reserve a table took no time at all.

Upon arriving, Kisara felt the AC hit her like a breath of fresh air and smiled. Awkwardly, Seto took the lead and followed their waiter to their table. They almost sat down when Seto noticed the ill placement of the table in regards to other diners; it was near the smoking section and there was no air circulation. Not to mention, it was loud. Quietly, he slipped the waiter a 5,000 yen bill and requested a better spot without Kisara noticing. The waiter nodded before taking them to the back of the restaurant to a little alcove which would allow them some privacy.

"Please have a seat," the waiter said.

Listening to all of the "pleasantries" they had each heard in one another's presence a thousand times over by this point, they soon found themselves in the comfort spot of silence that followed. However, it soon grew unbearable, leading Seto to question why. They weren't playing Duel Monsters, that's likely why. They'd actually be forced to have a real conversation this time that wasn't initiated by card games or history or things around them. He wasn't sure why that made his face feel hot. They'd been conversing all day after all. He could do this. He snuck a glance up at Kisara, who was taking a long gulp of water. When she noticed him watching her, she swallowed, set the cup down, and smiled at him.

 _Oh yeah, that's why,_ he thought to himself.

"You know what you want?" She asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah."

Maybe it would have been better to be around loud people after all.

Seto pulled at his collar, noticing the smell of his cologne still surprisingly strong. Well, it was better that then the alternative he supposed and it was what he had paid for, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was a smoldering smell now. At least it was _Sauvage_... Whatever the case, Kisara said nothing to him about it. He reviewed the day's events in his head. What had they talked about? History, UNESCO, Shinto and Buddhist traditions, his step-father now, dreams... wishes... Seto glanced up when she spoke.

"So... what exactly is the purpose of Obon?" She asked, "I mean, there has to be a reason why they're doing all this, right? It's not just a big party..."

Seto blinked, "Uh... it's to honor the spirits of deceased ancestors. It's a Buddhist belief that during Obon spirits come and visit."

Kisara slowly nodded, taking in the knowledge. The spirits of the dead... had she known anyone who had died? If she didn't back in Kemet, then most certainly... now that she was in the future, everyone she once did know was dead now. A kind of solemnity overcame her. What was she anyway? A ghost? A living being? She didn't know and it gave her chills. Seto watched her. It was true that throughout the day, he had explained a variety of things to her, but it was startling to him how little she knew. Just how bad was her amnesia?

"Kisara, you really don't remember anything about this?" He asked slowly.

Kisara looked up at him and after a moment, shook her head, "No... I don't remember anything about Obon."

"Nothing? Not family gatherings? Not sending fires? Bon Odori dances?" He asked.

Again, Kisara sheepishly shook her head uncomfortably, "No... I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry for. But festivals like these tend to spark memories," He said, repressing some of his own, "You'd think something like this would be familiar to you..."

"Well... does everyone celebrate it?" Kisara asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, but that's not the point," Seto said, their time at Fushimi Inari coming back to him, "You'd think that this would help you recall something to help you find your home."

Kisara's eyes widened, as though she hadn't thought of that, before she wrinkled her brow in thought. Suddenly, a thought came to mind that saddened her. What if she couldn't remember because... there was nothing to remember? A saddening kind of disposition overcame her and Seto felt a sharp pang in his chest.

"What?" He asked.

"I... I just... I don't know. I wish something here could help me find my home..." She said hesitantly, skirting the real issue.

As much as he hated to bring him up, Seto sighed, "Has Yugi managed to find anything to help you?"

Kisara's head popped up again and instantly she shook her head, "I don't know... I don't think so. It's hard to go off of nothing but my name..."

"What if I said I could help you?" Seto asked, as appetizers were brought to their table.

Kisara's whole frame seemed to freeze, the conversation going right where Yugi had warned her not to go with Seto, "N-no, I couldn't ask you to-"

"Why not? Yugi clearly isn't getting anywhere; why would you decline help?" Seto said, "Besides, I don't offer help to just anyone and I likely can gain access to more resources than that archeologist."

What seemed to be a compliment passed over her briefly, but again, she shook her head, the whole idea just becoming a bit overwhelming to her. As she spoke, struggling to be honest, but avoiding what Yugi had told her too, she felt a guilt and another wave of sorrow overcome her, "I... I'm just... I guess I'm just afraid. What if there is nothing? What if I don't have anyone to go back to? You'd think I'd remember at least faces, eyes, mouths, noses, anything, but there's nothing... Even if I go back... find my home... what if there's nothing there?"

Seto watched as Kisara rattled off worries into her lap, sheepishly avoiding his gaze. For someone who smiled so much and at times seemed a little naive or clueless, Kisara surprisingly was just as capable of worrying about a number of things, many of which much deeper and graver in nature than Seto expected. He sighed, pulled out his phone, opened the photos, and slid them over to her across the table.

"Look," He said, beginning to swipe through the pictures one by one for her to see, "Even if there's 'nothing' where you came from, you'll be taking all of this back with you."

All the photos were of their day. Fushimi Inari, Ginkaku-ji, Gion, the Philosopher's Path, and Kinkaku-ji... As Seto stopped, Kisara took the phone and began to swipe through the pictures on her own. Many were of the places, but the majority of them were of her, smiling and laughing. Her fingers stopped as the one picture they had taken together flicked onto the screen. A small, bittersweet smile came to her face.

"Even if you came from nothing, it doesn't matter, you're building things now," Seto finished, "You can continue to make a future for yourself."

Kisara bit her lip, a kind of ominousness sinking into her stomach. Sure, she was building her place here now, originally for the time being, but what if... what if this wasn't permanent? And what if she had left something behind? What if she was desperately needed somewhere else? In another place or another time? Would she have to leave this all behind? All of them behind? Was that really... could she...

She glanced up at him, "Is that possible? To really build up from 'nothing'? Even if there might be something behind you that you're forgetting, ignoring?"

Seto awkwardly nodded, "I did. I see no reason why you couldn't."

He built up from nothing? That was news to her. How much did she really know about Seto anyway? The more she learned about him, the more questions seemed to arise. The phone in her hand vibrated and rang. An older foreigner's face appeared on the screen with the sub-caption of 'Necessary Evil Idiot' coming up for her to read. A bit startled, she handed the phone to Seto, who looked at it before rolling his eyes and answering it.

"What do you want?"

"Kaiba-boy!" Exclaimed the receiver so loud that Kisara actually winced and Seto found himself pulling the phone away from his ear, "So glad I caught you, do you have a moment?"

"No," Seto said bitterly, "I'm in the middle of something."

He moved to hang up when a quick reply interrupted him, "Waitwaitwait, don't hang up yet, Kaiba! I have a proposition for you!"

"A proposition?" Seto repeated.

"That's right, listen, here at Industrial Illusions, we're planning on rolling out a new series of cards based on famous people in history and in today's day and age," Pegasus explained.

"Have you run out of ancient egyptian tablet crap then?" Seto spat sourly. Kisara found herself tense at the phrasing, but thankfully, Seto didn't seem to notice.

"Oh no no, but it's slow going, we can only release so many at a time; anyway, though, I was hoping to ask, what would you think of us creating a card based off of your person?" Pegasus finished.

Seto blinked and Kisara tilted her head, still able to hear the conversation. A card, based off of him? Though his automatic instinct was to smile like Mokuba would at something childish, Seto repressed it, his more logical and scrutiny-possessed side maintaining control over his mannerisms.

"We'll discuss it," He said shortly, "But at another time."

"Great! Oh I'm so glad to hear that. We're thinking of calling the card Kai-"

Seto hung up right on time for their waiter to arrive with their food, "Enjoy."

Kisara watched as Seto placed the phone down slowly, both of them taking in what had just been heard. Maximillion Pegasus, creator of Duel Monsters, had just asked Seto if he could make a card based off his likeness. Kisara wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing and Seto's blank reaction wasn't helping.

"Seto? Are you... okay?" She asked hesitantly.

Seto nodded, "Yeah, I just... ha, he's a nut job."

"Mr... Pegasus was it?" Kisara asked, trying to recall the name Yugi and Joey had mentioned to her a few times prior.

Seto brought a hand to his forehead and nodded, his eyes covered as an ironic kind of grin came to his face, "A card based off of me. He's lost it... probably trying to detract from the reveal of our new upgraded Duel Disk systems..."

Kisara found herself grinning a bit, as the realization came to her, "But... that would be kind of cool, right? You being a duel monsters card?"

Seto brought his hand down to see her smiling at him. The kind of thrill that came to him at the idea of going down in history as part of the most popular game the world had ever seen was just kind of fantastic. But seeing her smile... that seemed to be just a bit more spectacular... _suteki_. Seto looked down at his phone, where he saw the photo she had last been looking at stare back at him, the one of the two of them at Kinkaku-ji, and a deep heaviness hit his stomach.

He swallowed, "It would, if Pegasus is actually being legit for once."

"So you work with him at times?" Kisara asked, "Even though you work in different companies?"

"More like own different companies, but yeah..." Seto said trailing off.

"So... wait, you said your step-father was in charge of a weapons manufacturing company, is KaibaCorp the same company?" She inquired, confused.

Seto nodded, taking a sip of his drink, "It used to produce weapons, yeah. But when I assumed control, I changed that and I don't ever intend on changing it back. Not only do we not need more weapons being made in the world, but Duel Monsters is more economically beneficial by far."

He paused and shrugged, "Even if I had known that I'd have to deal with Pegasus as regularly as I do, I wouldn't have changed my decision to morph KaibaCorp into a gaming company."

"You love Duel Monsters that much?" Kisara asked.

Seto watched her, knowing that she had just hit the nail on the head. Uncomfortably, he nodded a bit before quietly answering, "It's spectacular... you know, you should come to the unveiling of the new system... it will be quite a sight."

Kisara nodded, "Well, maybe..."

"I'll send you an invite," Seto said, a funny little smile on his face and she could tell he was a little tickled by the conversation from before.

After, Kisara watched as he stuck his phone back into his pocket. The rest of the evening was rather quiet. Seto told her about various elements of obon, such as the bon odori dances done to welcome the spirits as well as the floating lanterns that people let go down the river to bring souls back to the afterlife. Secretly, Kisara found herself grateful they weren't seeing the latter. This was her future and she didn't want to somehow risk being so close to something meant to carry away souls. Thankfully, the subject changed to other traditions such as the cleaning of the family graves. Seto told her the only reason he bothered to even send someone to the Kaiba family grave was for appearances' sakes.

"You hated him that much?" Kisara asked.

"I'm glad he's dead," Seto said flatly, "He deserved everything he got. Just like I deserved everything I earned. I took the time that he never did."

Kisara listened, her hand about to grab another bite when the watch on her wrist glittered in the low light, catching her attention, "Oh! Seto!"

He looked up as she proceeded to take the watch off, "Here, I'm so so sorry, I, well, you, you didn't mean to give this to me, did you?"

She held it up for him to look at. He squinted, "Yes I did."

"But-" She started, flabbergasted by the statement, "But, I know you were making a point with Joey but, it's so much, isn't it? You couldn't have possibly been thinking when you gave it to me."

"Are you saying I don't think?" Seto asked, dead panned and serious.

"No, no," Kisara said, with a sigh, "I just, I mean, it was the heat of the moment right? You just acting instinctively, right?"

"Yes, I acted instinctively," Seto said, cutting into his steak, "What's your point?"

Kisara felt like a ton of bricks had fallen into her gut. Was this guy thick? "But... I... I can't accept this, I know you wanted me to get a watch. I'll get one on my own; you don't have to lend me this one anymore-"

"Who said I was lending it?" Seto said, annoyed as he took another bite, "Just keep it."

"Keep it?" Kisara repeated, "I can't- Don't you want it back? It's special, isn't it? It's got the KaibaCorp logo on it and everything!"

Seto looked at it again. For once, it wasn't a gift from his brother. It was something he had bought for himself. He knew the exact pricing of that model of watch. The crafting, the coloring, the materials used. He knew all of it. It was made for someone important, of great worth and status. A man like him. But for some reason, even though it had been custom made for his wrist, he seemed to like it better on her's, where it had dangled all day, holding on like a beautiful bolt of lightning to her very essence...

"I can get a replacement." He muttered.

"Seto!" She practically yelled, "Please, I can't-"

"Then keep it as a favor," Seto snapped, "Jeez, it isn't that big a deal."

Kisara sat back and pouted, "Yeah, it kinda is... besides, how is keeping it a favor for you?"

His blue eyes glanced up and met hers. Why _was_ it a favor? It wasn't, or rather, it shouldn't be. But even still, it felt like it was. His eyes flickered away from her own. This whole day, he'd been explaining things, telling her about Obon, Kyoto, and Japanese History, even his own history for goodness' sakes. But what had he learned about her? Next to nothing. That's what he'd learned. So why would her keeping his watch be a favor? He looked back up at her intently - an answer not coming in words, only in a gut instinct that seemed to come from her very presence.

"It just is," Seto said, when his phone suddenly buzzed. Looking at it for the third time that night, his eyes bulged, "We gotta go."

"What?"

"We've got 15 minutes till the lighting," He said, standing up and pulling out a bill, "Come on."

Kisara barely had time to put her hat on as they quickly made their way out the door. Seto glanced around, trying to find a cab that was open. Nothing.

"Come on," He said, starting to walk and pulling his phone out.

Looking at the little blue dot on the map, he could see they were nowhere near where they wanted to be. The second best option would be where the Kamo River split and even then, they wouldn't get there in time without a car. He held his tongue. Not good, it was going to light any second and this had been the whole reason they had come.

"Seto!"

He turned to see Kisara; she had somehow managed to hail a cab. Letting her slide in, Seto followed in after her.

"The split of the Kamo River and Takano River," He said.

The man in the front nodded, though Seto felt a hint of skepticism coming from the man. That's what he was afraid of. As the car sped off, Seto watched the little dot on his map move with them down the roads, closer to their target. However, the closer they got, the slower they moved. Kisara peered over at the map as well.

"That is us?" She asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, we need to get here."

She too nodded. The drive began to get painfully long. They only had 10 minutes, then 8, then 6, 5, 3... Seto felt his foot tap impatiently. They had moved only a block in the last minute. And it was a short block, not one of those long blocks in a place like New York City. One of those tiny three small house blocks. And then it hit him as Kisara leaned against him to see the map better. They were literally sitting right next to each other.

"How much farther?" He asked the cab driver, urgently, trying to force the thought from his mind.

"About five more minutes," The cab driver said.

They'd miss the lighting.

"It's only a couple blocks away, right?" Kisara said pointing at the map.

"Yeah, why-"

"Let's get out here," She said, doing her best to quickly memorize the map.

"Wait, what?"

"Come on," She said, jumping out of the cab.

"Huh? Wait, Kisara-" He quickly pulled a bill out of his wallet, threw it up front, and jumped out of the car, despite the protests of the driver (not that it mattered, he'd easily paid him twice what he owed him with that single bill).

"Kisara-"

"This way," She said, grabbing his hand and beginning to run.

"How do you-"

"Come on, it's not that far ahead," She said.

Slinging her purse over her shoulder and holding her hat, Kisara pulled Seto through the streets, weaving in and out of the crowds of people who seemed to come out in even more droves as they got closer to the sounds of the river. Upon reaching the Kamo river, Kisara's head darted around and turned them to their right, darting this way and that, Seto having the hardest time keeping up. Finally, when he thought he'd get dizzy from all of the passing of people, Kisara stopped.

In front of them, huge crowds gathered below at the gap in the rivers, many looking up at the mountain just due east. There was silence, as though everyone was holding their breath and then, there it was. A flame. Then another, and another. Like stars coming out one by one forming a constellation of one of the most basic kanji characters, the one they all learned probably before even going to school. "Dai".

Seto glanced around. Many people his age and younger looked on excitedly, some taking selfies, video, and pictures. Children begged to get on their parents' shoulders to see better. Meanwhile, the older generation seemed to watch on in revered silence. He felt a bit of anger burn in him at said reverence. It was nothing that these people did, but the notion that people would be so stuck on the past, the very idea that perturbed him so much, seemed to dig into a sore spot in his back. When there were so many other things to do, so many better things to be doing, and people, year after year did the same thing over and over again wasting their tim-

His eyes fell on her, seeing the sparkling fascination and awe of what was before them. The wonderment of seeing it for the first time couldn't have been more obvious. Kisara watched as the large symbol appeared before her, the one that she had seen in pictures. The first guide for the souls to the afterlife... A unsettling feeling, like before at the restaurant, started to enter into the back of her heart.

What if it took her? Was she even supposed to be here? In this beautiful time? This lighting that symbolized the end of the spirits' time here on earth... she felt herself shake a bit. What if this wonderful day was actually going to be her last? Why was she here? Why was she being allowed to see this futuristic time of great marvel and wonder? Would it so happen that, her time would run out? What if it all ended tonight? She didn't want it to be the end... she loved it here...

Fear? Was it fear that he was seeing? Seto couldn't be sure. Kisara took a step back, holding her clutch close to her. Why...

"You okay?" He asked.

Kisara's head swiveled around to see him standing next to her and immediately their eyes locked. Her hands, which had been quivering a bit moments ago, became calm as a peace seemed to envelop her as she watched his stoic face watching her's. Why? Was it... because of him?

"Yeah, I'm alright," She said slowly, before giving a reassuring nod.

 _Yes, it would all be alright._ That's the feeling he gave her and it turned her smile, that was then briefly a facade, into something genuine. She didn't know how. She didn't know why. But something... something about Seto Kaiba, gave her peace... she couldn't place it... but at this very moment, she felt safe just standing next to him, being with him. It felt... right.

Her blue eyes returned to the mountainside and that's when it hit him. That smile. That genuinely perfect smile.

That's what made her different. It was her acknowledgement of bad things, scary things in the world, omens, that was balanced by her ability to hang on and look for the good... it was that dazzling quality, that seemed so elusive to him, that she contained, that he found to be absolutely mesmerizing. And everything else just piled on top of it. Her laughter. Her goofiness. Her curiosity. Her fascination. Her desire to see it all, to take advantage of it all, even when there were reasons to fear... She was just real.

In that moment, he wished the watch on her wrist would stop time... just for a little while.

As the fires lit overhead, Kisara and the rest of the crowd continued to watch, even as up to the north, other fires were lit. The event would be over soon enough, but Seto was content just taking the time to watch her. So what? He could see videos on youtube and dailymotion and all other kinds of travel blogs on the lighting if he wanted. What he wanted most was to watch her, because really, that was the real spectacle, her brilliance, her beauty, her.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So pretty long chapter, but I hope it was worth it. Due to things going on at home, not sure what my status is going to be next month, but I'll do my best to get something up. Writing is very therapeutic for me… Anyway, let me know what you thought and I look forward to seeing you for the next chapter!

Later,

~Rena


	19. Chapter Nineteen: 素敵 (Suteki)

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything… I'm getting less and less creative with these disclaimers, aren't I? :/

 **Author's Note:** Well, March has come and gone, April is almost there as well, but that means you all get a new update! This time jumping back to Domino for a bit and then… maybe a little something extra. You'll just have to wait and see! Or I guess, read and see. ;) Onto today's terms!

 _ **Terms-**_

 _Kakigori -_ Ice flavored with fruity-sugary syrups

 _Choco banana -_ Chocolate covered banana, normally with sprinkles

 _Watame -_ Cotton candy

 _Obaasan -_ Grandmother (sometimes how older women are referred to as)

 _Merchant's coin tray -_ Little trays you put your money or credit cards in at check out. The merchant then picks up the tray, counts, and proceeds to give you your change.

 _Toro Nagashi -_ Floating lantern ceremony common during Obon.

 _Shamisen -_ A 3-stringed Japanese instrument.

 _Taiko -_ Traditional Japanese drums often used during large scale festivals.

Today's chapter title means "lovely, wonderful, nice, great, fantastic, superb, or cool"... for those wondering, I choose the title primarily for what happens at the end of this chapter :3 (same with the song lyrics for today too, actually, haha ^^;) ).

 **-YGO-**

" _I've been alone so many nights now,_

 _And I've been waitin' for the stars to fall._

 _I keep holdin' out for what I don't know,_

 _To be with you, just to be with you._ _"_

-"To Be With You" by David Archuleta

 **Chapter Nineteen:** **素敵** **(** **Suteki)**

The sounds of children running down the stone paths by the riverwalk in sandals and flip-flops echoed down the stream as fresh Ikayaki and Okonomiyaki stands stood staring down the crepe stands across the way that also sold Choco Bananas covered in sprinkles. The game was on.

Tristan, Bakura, and Joey had taken it upon themselves to prove that they really could be idiots when they so choose when it came to food. Buying about 8 sticks of Ikayaki a piece, in about the most disgusting display of food competition Tea had ever seen, the three boys scarfed down each one rapidly. Well, Bakura attempted, but he gave up after number six. She doubted that they even tasted them though.

"So... you're really dating him?" Tea said to Serenity as she took another bite of her Kakigori.

"Unfortunately," Serenity said, rolling her eyes, "What's worse is that I'm related to that one."

Tea laughed, "You're not going to try, Yug?"

Yugi shrugged, "I'm... trying to keep my dignity."

"Which you're losing by not joining us," Joey called, "Seriously, what kind of pansy are you?"

"One that needs to be skinny enough to get through old caverns when needed," Yugi replied with a smile.

"Hey, if I can, I'm sure you can too," Bakura chimed in, much to Yugi's displeasure.

"You haven't even finished your last two!" Tristan snapped.

"I thought you said this was dumb anyway?" Bakura responded with a laugh.

"It is, but if I'm going down, so are you!" Tristan answered.

The group laughed as Joey added, "Come on, Yug, I'm sure you've got a gut of steel."

"I'm good," Yugi repeated, allowing attention on himself to dwindle and die.

Tristan and Joey soon turned to trying convince Bakura that he could finish the 7th and 8th ikayaki respectively, though Bakura protested. Finally, Serenity sighed and resigned herself to halt the two men in her life from committing their third friend to the hospital.

"Alright, alright, both of you!" She said getting in the way, "You should both know better!"

"Sis, come on, he's fine," Joey said.

"Don't you 'sis' me!" She snapped.

Tristan, taking cue from Joey's failure, moved to win her over, "Alright, we'll stop, but... can I have some of your watame?"

Serenity smirked at him, "If it'll make you stop."

As she pulled a piece away, Joey's eyes bulged, "Uh, no not happening."

"Joey-" Serenity gasped, annoyed as Joey smacked her hand upward, releasing the pink cloud of sugary goodness that had been in her fingers.

"You are NOT sharing food with him," Joey argued.

"Aw, come on man, not like we haven't before," Tristan remarked.

"Well you're not now," Joey replied, "Completely unsanitary is what that is."

"More like completely anal," Serenity muttered.

"I heard that!"

"Well, it's not like we haven't shared saliva before!" She shouted back.

"Bakura, back me up here!" Joey called.

It was at this point that the two still out of the conversation found themselves both slinking away from the scene that was slowly gathering attention, none of which they wanted to be apart of. After a few moments of looking out over the river, Yugi began to chuckle under his breath.

"What?" Tea said, looking over at him.

"Nothing, just..." Yugi started, "I've just... been so tense this whole night, to hear Serenity blurt that out... I never thought I'd ever hear something like that out of her."

"Joey's ears are probably bleeding," Tea remarked, and they both laughed.

As their laughter turned to silence, the rushing water below them drew in silence. Tea glanced over at her friend.

"Yugi..." She began, "Why were you tense?"

Yugi straightened up. That's right. He hadn't told her... "I... there's a reason I didn't tell you all about Bakura... we haven't really... seen eye to eye since college started... I should have told you though. I'm sorry."

Though surprised by the revelation, Tea shook her head, "That's okay. It was a nice surprise this way..."

Yugi shrugged, not sure if he really thought it was. He sighed, "So... did you go visit your family's grave?"

"I went with Mom and Dad the other day. I'm guessing you did as well?" She asked.

Yugi nodded, "Yeah, Grandpa and I went."

"Your parents?" She inquired.

"No, they don't come back to Japan for Obon anymore," He lamented.

She nodded, "Well, at least you were able to join your Grandpa. I'm sure he appreciates the support when you visit your Obaasan."

Yugi glanced her way with a pained smile, "I guess. I... don't really remember her though. I was so little when she passed..."

"Still," She said, "It's nice of you to go."

Yugi nodded, "It's the least I can do. Grandpa, he's got the game shop, but you know... I don't know if he ever really got over her passing. I remember Mom saying once he became hyper-obsessed over the games because it kept him from thinking of her... Not sure if that's true though. He always seemed really into games to me..."

A text pinged on Tea's phone. Pulling it out of her purse, she opened it to read: "Get out of here while you still can. I might murder these idiots." She smiled a bit. Peering over her shoulder, she caught sight of Serenity who was getting exhausted. She debated going over, defying Serenity's wishes, but somehow, she didn't think she was needed. Not to mention, she didn't have the energy.

"Well... it's certainly a trait he passed down to you," She said with a smile.

"Yeah..." Yugi said softly.

Suddenly, Tea found herself looking at a very serious side of her friend, his eyes furrowed, as though focused on something deep within the earth. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him play much of any games... save for that one time at the onsen, but since then... She glanced down the way.

"Come on," She said, "Let's go get some Choco Bananas."

When he didn't move, Tea's lips pursed and she defiantly went over to his right side from his left and pushed on his shoulder, "Come onnnnn. Move it, you."

"Huh?" He said, coming out of his trance, "Wait, what?"

"Choco Bananas," She said, "You like those right?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Come on," Tea repeated. As they walked together towards the stands, slowly, Tea found the words she wanted to say, "You know... Obon... it's supposed to be a happy day. It's a celebration, not a funeral."

Yugi looked her way confused as they got closer to the stand, "What are you talking about?"

"Just what I said," Tea answered, "I just... I'm worried about you."

"Huh? Why?" He asked.

"Because... you're just..." Tea started, "If your Grandpa immersed himself in games, something he also loved, to hide grief at times... it's like... you've completely done the opposite, avoiding it, like the plague."

Yugi stopped and looked at her as she finished, "That's it, isn't it? You don't play games much anymore because it reminds you of him?"

As though jumping into the bowels of the millennium puzzle again, what felt like thousands of memories flooded into Yugi's mind. Every game. Every strategy. Every adventure. Every friend. Every experience they had ever had together. His hand instinctively reached for the puzzle that he had held around his neck, but there was nothing, only a cotton shirt. He felt a lump well up in his throat.

But before he could say anything, he felt arms wrap around his neck, causing a shocked expression to manifest on his face. His purple eyes shifted to her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Tea found herself stopping when two strong arms wrapped themselves around her. He held her, like she was keeping him grounded, from falling into the quicksand he seemingly stood on. No one had ever said that. He'd never said that. But it was true. He didn't want to play. Not without Atem. Not without the king who had been there for him, who had given him everything. Confidence. Skills. Faith. Hope. Friends.

How was he really supposed to inherit that? What right did he have? When it was all Atem? When everything he had become was because of Atem? He was no Game King, only the recipient of Atem's kindness. How could anyone really expect him to just walk on like it didn't bother him? Him getting everything and Atem... rest. A rest that parted him from the friends they had both made. The most precious things... relationships that they had worked for and covetted. Yes, he was back with his own father and his family... but... it just didn't seem fair.

"I... I can't..." He whispered.

"What?" She said, listening.

"I can't..." He repeated, before slowly letting her go, "I can't... I don't want to play without Atem. It just doesn't feel right."

Tea could hear the sadness in his voice, very subtle, as though he was trying to hide it. But it was there. She sighed.

"You know... he wouldn't want you feeling this way," She said, "He wasn't a selfish person. Just because he's gone, doesn't mean he'd want you to not play."

"I know..." Yugi said, "I just-"

"He would want you to play, Yugi," She interrupted.

While bypassers continued on to the stall not 10 meters away, Yugi found himself feeling just like a little kid again. Like the time he had just about put the Millennium puzzle together and... the last piece was gone. He felt like an infant as the sensation of salt water threatening to well up in his eyes threatened to come over him, but he refused it. He was 24, what even was he thinking...

"It's... it's not that simple, Tea..." He said, "I... just because I beat him once, it doesn't mean..."

He stopped, the words coming out of his mouth not making any sense. Tea watched him sadly, before slipping her hand into his. Without a word, she dragged him to a different stand by the river. It was void of the Choco Bananas and instead, sold beautiful paper lanterns.

"Tea wha-"

"Yugi, nothing is ever simple," She told him, "That's why life isn't simply easy."

She pointed to a blank paper lantern in the back and placed a bill and a coin into the merchant's little coin tray. Picking it up, she dragged Yugi over to the side, where markers were laid out and families huddled around their lanterns as messages were written on the sides along with cute little drawings. Sitting down, she pushed the lantern to Yugi.

"Atem knew that. He knew that and he kept going. He kept fighting. And he recognized that spirit in you," She held out the pen, "Atem knew that it wasn't simply because of a better strategy that you won that duel. He knew it was because you had the same heart needed, the one that every 'Game King' needs. One that's willing to push on and have faith."

Yugi watched her confused, as she finished, "You guys always said it was 'The Heart of the Cards' that led you to victory. But really, for you, it's 'The Heart of a King' that made all the difference for you and that's what made you guys different from the rest. It's a heart of true intelligence, kindness, and compassion. It's full of mercy, and justice. Joey doesn't have it. I don't have it. But Atem did. And so do you. And he knew that you maybe had it even more so than him. So are you going to just sit there while someone's in trouble, wallowing in what's past? Or are you going to seize the day by the reigns and rule it like a King?"

The boldness of her statement shocked him. The Heart of a King. That was a new one. But... intelligence... kindness... and compassion. Justice and mercy... That... yes, that did describe Atem. But no one had ever told him that he had those same qualities. He'd never thought of himself in that regard. He stared back at the blank paper lantern.

Uncapping the pen, Tea watched as Yugi wrote in elegant Kanji the three characters spelling out "Yugioh". When she thought he was done however, he proceeded to draw a symbol more familiar to only him - a cartouche around the vertical kanji. Spinning it around, he began to write something longer on the opposite side. Finally, after a minute he was done.

Standing, Tea spoke again, "You want to send it off?"

Yugi nodded, standing up as well, keeping the letter towards his chest as they made their way down to the launching area. Bending down, they picked up a match set and Tea gracefully struck a light. Yugi couldn't help but be impressed, considering the wide sleeves of the yukata that she wore. He would have been nervous to do so. Reaching in, she lit the candle inside, allowing it to glow brightly and cast a warm light about them.

Kindly, Tea waited as Yugi held the sides of the lantern. He let out a breathe and placed it in the water. It floated next to them, protected by the little alcove from the current. After seeing it float there for a moment, Yugi ever so slowly moved to push it out, when he felt fingers touch his own and together, Tea and him pushed it out to the open river. They watched it float off, beautifully flickering, as though waving them goodbye.

After a while, Yugi finally looked down and spoke, "Thank you, Tea."

"Hm?"

"You're right," He said, "Atem trusted me. I can't let him down. Not after all he did for me."

Tea smiled, "That's what we've been trying to get you to see all along, you big dummy."

Yugi laughed a bit, "Yeah... thanks. I... I can't stop looking for him, but you're right. I need to focus on the here and now... You guys are too good for me; I don't know how you have the patience to deal with me."

"No, we're not," Tea said, "You ever think that maybe we're just as happy to have you as a friend as you are to have us?"

Yugi's eyebrow raised and he shrugged, "I don't know; I always thought... that I was the lucky one."

His words seemed to pause as he watched her features become the stage of candle lights. When he was in high school, it would have seemed even impossible for him to even talk to her. Now... The little box in his pocket, that he had amazingly remembered to bring, didn't even register. Just her... one of his best friends in the whole world... How was he this lucky to know her?

"Tea... thank you," He said again, this time more fervently and assuredly.

Tea found a deep heat entering her cheeks suddenly, "I... uh... it was nothing..."

When had they gotten so incredibly close?

"So... what did you..." She began awkwardly.

"What?" He interrupted.

"Huh?" She asked back, before continuing, "Uh... what did you.."

The distance was getting smaller...

"Write to..."

Was it him or her moving closer?

"Atem?"

But neither of them were backing away. How was this? What even was...?

"I..."

"Yugi, Tea!"

Mere centimeters apart, Yugi and Tea leaned away from one another and both heads swiveled up to see Bakura at the top of the river bed near the bridge.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" He called.

Awkwardly, Tea and Yugi quickly got to their feet, Tea so fast that Yugi reached out to catch her as she nearly fell over in her yukata. She nodded to him and brushed herself off.

"Sorry!" She called, "My fault; we'll be right up."

Quickly, the two scampered over to the steps, which they scaled in record time. At the top, they saw the other three running over to join them.

"Hey! There you's two are!" Joey blurted out, "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sorry," came the unison reply.

"It's okay," Tristan answered, currently carrying Serenity in a piggy back ride, "We just couldn't find you. Serenity couldn't even see you over the crowd."

"Right, and I told you for the last time, to put her down!" Joey said, his attention now directed to the two lovebirds, "It's indecent."

"More indecent then what Mai would wear when she visited you?" Serenity shot, sliding off of Tristan's back.

Joey's face went a deep scarlet as the rest of them snickered. Serenity really had a way of making her brother go red with embarrassment tonight. As the bickering once again resumed, the group began walking over the bridge, back toward Chuo-koen where the primary festivities were being held. Tea let out a sound of aggravation and handed Yugi her coin purse to hold for her while she tried to settle the fight.

He sighed, smiling as he looked out over the river. He wasn't sure where the lantern was now, but he was satisfied, happy that he had gotten to send it off...

 _"Yami, I'm sorry. I won't avoid playing anymore and I'll duel... this time with the Heart of a Game King. - Yugi"_

The fresh memory was interrupted by an innocent laugh from behind him. He turned his head around to see Bakura and his stance instantly became sharp. Right, this game.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing," Bakura said, "They're just funny..."

He came up to join Yugi in their walk, which quickly turned uncomfortably silent, "So... why didn't you tell them I was back? You still angry at me?"

"I'm not angry with you," Yugi stated.

"Could of fooled me," Bakura said, "You barely talk to me at work."

Yugi glanced at Bakura, "You know why that is."

"Yeah, because you don't trust me, I get it," Bakura replied.

"Bakura, you want to destroy the-"

"The portals," Bakura answered, "Yeah, you would too. If you had been the victimized vessel of a demon."

"But there's so much more out there and Yami Bakura is-"

"Gone? You really believe that?" Bakura asked.

There was a pause as the undeniable truth came out of the silence.

"See," Bakura said, "If you still believe that there's a chance to find Atem, then you know there's a chance that _he_ could still be out there _too_."

"Ryo, I've told you, we won't let that-"

"Happen?" Ryo asked and there was a pause before he sighed, "You know... I want to believe that, Yugi, but... You guys didn't notice for two whole years until it was too late."

"We noticed, but-"

"But there were more important things to deal with?"

"Marik was-"

"Yes, I know what Marik was doing," Bakura said, "But none of that changes the fact that there are still clearly creatures, spirits out there that want to do damage to others and get their revenge."

"And how?" Yugi interrupted, "We can't even summon-"

"Does that matter?" Bakura countered, "They're out there. And you're working to-"

"I'm not working to unlock any demonic spirits," Yugi said.

"Well that, I know," Bakura said.

Yugi felt his stomach do a weird flip as the two stopped short of the edge of the bridge, "What?"

"I know you're not trying to unlock any spirits, at least not right now anyway, because one already was unlocked, wasn't it?" Ryo implied, "That's why the tablet broke, isn't it?"

Yugi watched Bakura's countenance. What was he... "I don't know what you're talking about. The tablet broke, but there's no evidence to support that a spirit's been unlocked."

"Fine, use divergents to avoid the truth. I know just as well as you that there's no more evidence that that tablet ever held the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But you know..." Ryo paused, a kind of regret painting his face. He placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, "I'm not the bad guy here, Yugi. I'm just trying to prevent anyone else from getting hurt the way I was... the way you were."

Yugi's head turned to his opponent, who continued, "I know the Pharaoh, no matter how much you praise him, likely underwent a time of madness. Think about it, ripped out of your time and body... in a way, it's easy to understand... You realize how lucky you were that he was strong enough to pull out of that? The rest of those affected... we weren't so lucky."

Yugi shook Bakura's hand off his shoulder and backed away, "Atem was never mad."

Ryo shook his head, "Fine. I'm not here to argue about that. I wanted to talk to you and tell you that I want to help you. If there really is a spirit out there, it needs to be sent back and I'm willing to assist you with that... "

Yugi watched Bakura skeptically. In recent years, it was true, they had grown apart as friends. Their disagreements remained in their hearts like bitter thorns... but there was a time when they had agreed, had held the same interests, same beliefs, fought for the same things...

Finally, Bakura broke the silence, "You know, I always considered us friends. We might not agree on everything anymore but... I'd like to help you."

Yugi felt his chest ache a bit. He wanted to trust Bakura, but something, like the lantern that was now on it's way out of the city, pulled him away from doing so. He watched Ryo, wondering. What was really different? Was he just being paranoid? Really, Bakura was acting like he always had... like a friend. And if one thing was for sure, he didn't want any of his friends hurt.

"Bakura..." He said slowly, "I don't know if there's any spirits roaming around from Kemet. But if they're dangerous; I'll stop them. You have my word."

"You're willing to stop them if you have to? And alone? Without any help?" Bakura questioned, almost scathingly. Almost. Just short of it.

Yugi gave a nod ahead of his brief declaration, "It's my burden. No one else's."

Bakura shrugged, looking forward at the rest of the group, a kind of sadness in his eyes, "Alright... but I'm here for you. If you need anything."

Yugi nodded again and Bakura and him started to walk back after the others. His thumbs in his pockets, Yugi pondered the implications of what Ryo just said. Ryo was and had always foremost been one to protect others. He had suffered in silence, trying to control Yami Bakura for as long as he could, never saying anything... He sacrificed much and Yugi wasn't sure if he could ever understand all of it... He could sympathize, but he could likely never understand completely what it had been like. Was he really so blinded by his own desires to not see the true merit of what Ryo was trying to do? When it came down to it, he really didn't know. Yugi sighed, looking up to see the train station. Tea smiled as she began to walk up the steps.

"See ya guys later!" She called, before turning to him, "Bye, Yugi! Bye, Bakura!"

He held up a hand to wave to her when the lump in his pocket suddenly pressed against his leg. Her gift! He inwardly groaned. He was so distracted by Bakura that he didn't notice... He could run up after her but... the rest of them... He shook his head in annoyance with himself. He had to focus. Focus on the matter at hand. He had told Bakura he would handle this issue alone. So he would. He'd figure out what had brought Kisara here and how to get her home. He'd made that promise and it was one he intended to keep.

 **-YGO-**

They watched the giant flame in the sky burn until slowly, one by one, the embers seemed to die or be snuffed out. The smell of burnt wood was thick in the air as the sound of thousands of feet making their way back to their homes, trains, or busses filled the riverside. Smiling to herself, Kisara waited in silence, fiddling with her clutch, opening and closing it ever so slightly once or twice a minute. Suddenly, a feeling of drowsiness seemed to pervade her senses and she suppressed a yawn. It had been such a wonderful day. With Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Gion, the Nama-Yatsuhashi, and finally, the last piece of the day, Gozan no Okuribi. It had been simply, in a word, amazing.

She turned to her companion, "Seto, this was spectacular. Thank you."

Seto glanced her way, "No problem."

"Do you want to head back to the train?" She asked, assuming that's where they would be heading now, when a smirk appeared on his face.

"You really think we're ending the day now?" Seto said, smiling in a way that confused her.

"Um... why wouldn't we?" Kisara asked.

"Well, you don't think we're done do you?" Seto continued, "After all, we didn't exactly do what we came out here for."

Kisara bit her lip and with an awkward laugh replied, "Um... yes we did. We came out to see Gozan no Okuribi."

"Yeah, and we also came out here to celebrate you mastering the essential concepts of Duel Monsters," Seto said, "You can't think something like that was a good enough celebration, can you?"

"What do you mean? It was was spectacular!" Kisara repeated.

Seto rolled his eyes, "Come on, I'll show you spectacular."

Seto turned, heading down the steps to the banks of the river edge. Kisara found her feet frozen in place for a moment, in almost a stupor of question when somehow, she willed her legs to move and follow.

"Wait, Seto, what are you talking about?" She called after him, catching up to him barely as he began walking down the riverside, his phone now out.

Despite her insistence however, she never got a reply out of him. When they finally reached the edge of the split between the two rivers, where a few rocks, some shaped like giant turtles jetted out, creating a stone path, Seto uncharacteristically jumped down onto one and turned to see her.

"Come on," He said.

Kisara looked at him hesitantly. The rocks looked slightly slippery and her shoes weren't made for gripping something like that.

"Here," He said, holding his hand out to her, "Don't be such a wuss."

At that, a bit of anger sparked in her, "I am not a wuss!"

"Prove it," Seto told her, a smirk gracing his handsome features.

Biting her lip, Kisara jumped down, taking his hand and holding it tightly as she landed, thankful that it wasn't as slippery as she had first thought. They made their way across to the V-shaped clearing ahead of them, Kisara holding her hat closely. In the opposite direction, many people seemed to filter back into the streets where the remaining festivities were occurring. Sounds of the shamisen and taiko could be heard far off. But soon, the area around them seemed desolate, with not even a street lamp really illuminating the area and the smoke from above creating a slight fog. Just as Kisara found herself bringing her hands up to her arms in a kind of self-hug, she saw someone crossing from the opposite side of the river, also jumping rocks, who Seto seemed to be watching intently.

"Took you long enough," He called.

"Yeah, yeah, idiot," Came the response, "Maybe if you had been at the right location."

"Location?" Kisara repeated. But then... that voice was familiar...

"Don't call your brother an idiot," Seto shot back, "You brought them?"

"Duh," Mokuba said, stopping to sling a backpack off his shoulder and open it up.

"Mokuba?" Kisara said, "Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you..."

"Yeah, I kicked him out, but he made me promise to bring this as the one condition," Mokuba said, "Doesn't matter, Yuzu is busy with her friends stuffing her face about now probably."

"Whatever, hurry it up already," Seto said.

"I am, I am," Mokuba told him.

From the backpack, Kisara saw their junior produce something shiny and metallic, with a kind of set of wings on each side, though one was shorter than the other. He tossed it over to Seto, who caught it skillfully.

"You know, if that had landed in the water, you would have paid for that," Seto informed him.

"Yeah, yeah, not like we own the company that makes them," Mokuba replied, pulling out another duplicate of the item now in Seto's hands and slipping it onto his arm before jumping back a few paces.

"Seto, what's-"

"Take off your hat and hold out your left arm," He said.

"Wha-"

"Just do it," Seto ordered.

Kisara tensed, but did as she was told, placing her hat down and her purse on top to keep it from being swept away by the wind. Seto came to her side and slipped it onto her arm, "This is a duel disk."

He pushed a button and suddenly, Kisara felt it lock onto her arm, gently as though a sturdy airbag had inflated to support the item. Still though it was heavy and she found herself struggle to balance it at first.

"Wait, what are-"

"Mokuba, let's Duel!" Seto called out.

"You got it, Bro," He said, switching his duel disk on.

Kisara froze. Duel? Here? Now? No, she couldn't... "Seto, wait, no I can't, I don't even..."

"Have any cards?" Seto said, pulling a set out, "Yeah, you do."

"But I, you've never shown me how to-"

"And that's what I'm going to do right now," He said, coming around back of her, "Lift up your arm."

Kisara shut her eyes, released a breath she hadn't known herself to be holding, before pulling her arm up as Seto had instructed.

"Now..." He said, reaching over to a button, "Engage."

He touched it and suddenly, the item on her arm lit up a brilliant electric blue and purple. Kisara nearly jumped when the wings moved together forming one long body that lit up like a multitude of stars. He inserted the deck into a small slot on the side.

"Relax," Seto instructed, "Mokuba, we're going first."

Mokuba must have nodded somewhere in the distance, but due to the light on her arm, Kisara couldn't see for sure.

"Draw four cards like always," Seto told her, which she did after nodding, but the fourth card, Seto slipped it away.

"Hey wait, Seto-"

"Trust me, you don't need to see this card yet," Seto said, a smile on his face.

Kisara felt herself feel a little panicked. Only three cards? And from what she could tell, none of them were very good. Actually, it was for all intents and purposes, a pretty terrible hand. Only one monster and the other two spell cards she couldn't activate this turn. But when she glanced up at Seto, she found her eyes widen. The smile on his face was... different, excited... like he was in his element. If he was in his element and could be so confident... she looked back at her cards. She pulled out a card and showed it to him.

"Are you summoning or setting?" He asked.

"Setting," She replied.

"Alright, call it out," He said, directing her hand, "And set it this way."

She nodded, "I set a monster."

She jumped slightly as a card materialized out of thin air and hung down near the ground in front of her. Recovering from the slight surprise, she glanced up at Seto.

"Anything else?" He asked.

Again, a nod, and she showed him the spell card, "I set a card... and end my turn."

She glanced up to him and he smiled, looking over to Mokuba, who drew a card.

"I summon Axe Raider in attack mode," Mokuba called out as the hologram materialized out of what looked like particles of dust that sparkled into something solid, "You ready for this, Kisara?"

Kisara shook her head 'no'. That monster was nearly five times stronger than her Kidmodo Dragon, which she had just set. And with only one card left that wasn't a quick play... She found herself backing up, right into Seto. Looking up at him, he seemed unfazed by Mokuba's actions... not to mention the fact that she had just bumped into him.

"Set-"

"Shh, don't worry," He said, "I told you, I'm about to show you something spectacular."

"I attack your face down card; go Axe Raider!" Mokuba called out.

Kisara heard the monster barreling down towards them and attack the facedown card. Upon impact, the sound of what could have been glass shattering met her ears and the little Kidmodo Dragon card flipped up and materialized in front of them, as though a ghost, looking up at her.

"What's Kidmodo Dragon's effect?" Seto asked her as Kisara still found herself frozen by the impact of the attack.

She glanced down at the card and picked it up. "If this card is sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand..."

"But I don't have-"

Seto flicked out the fourth card from before with his right hand, slid it to meet hers, and handed it to her. Slowly, she took it and revealed the card's contents. As a gust of wind brushed against her legs and passed over to the grassy sides of the river, a magnificent creature on the card met her eyes with beautiful white wings and royal light blue eyes, as though ready to let loose a powerful attack.

 _"This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale."_

She found herself transfixed. It was... the word... escaped her... as her thumb brushed over it, feeling the ink that imprinted the image... This was Seto's card. One of his signature cards. _The Blue-Eyes White Dragon._

"Why don't we summon it?" Seto said with a sly smile.

Slowly, Kisara, still transfixed, nodded and placed the card face up on the duel disk. It was like looking at an old friend... somehow... It took her a moment, but finally the words came to her, "I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, in attack mode!"

Over the sounds of the taiko in the background, a ear splitting screech sounded from the duel disk as out of what seemed to be thin air, a monster more than three times their size appeared before them from the duel disk, gracefully flying around them, snaking its way past their legs, into the water and out, finally spreading its wings out to their full length, the moonlight dancing off of its scales. It roared again at its opponent and Kisara could practically feel the powerful beat of its wings as it flew above them, as though in tune with her heart. Though she couldn't see him well, she was sure that Mokuba had likely lost a little of the color in his face.

Frozen, unsure of what to do next, she practically jumped when she felt Seto's hand on her arm gently steady her stance, his other supporting her left arm holding the duel disk as he whispered in her ear, "Unleash its signature attack."

She felt a shiver run down her spine. There was a tingling, as though electricity was once again running through her. Kisara momentarily wondered if this was a side effect of the duel disk, but at the same time... she knew it wasn't, as though the electricity was flowing out of her very fingertips.

"Blue Eyes!" She called, throwing her hand out instinctively, "White Lightning attack!"

It's howl sounded as the creature inhaled above them and the two looked up at the electricity gaining inside its jaw. The mammoth spun around and let the lighting stream burst out at the Axe Raider on the opposite side of the field, shattering its enemy into millions of shards that disappeared and floated up into the night sky. The Blue Eyes once again roared in victory, circling back around to its summoner.

Looking the creature in the eyes, Kisara found herself hesitate. She knew it wasn't real. It was a hologram. But why was it so... she reached out to touch its nose, to pat it, a job well done. It was an odd sensation - like trying to touch mist. It was there, but not, causing her to have to carefully not push her hand past where its head appeared to be. The dragon shut its eyes, enjoying the gestured caress it seemed. Seto smiled. That was his dragon. His Blue Eyes... and yet... looking at the two, he felt more like it should belong to her...

"Well done, Blue Eyes," He said softly.

His fingers glided over Kisara's arm to the reset button, switching the duel disk off. With it, the dragon howled and flew straight up into the air, disintegrating into the starry sky, the last howl echoing around them. The two of them watched, as though looking to see if the creature would reassemble itself as stars fell around them from it's disintegrated form. Mokuba brushed the dirt off of his shirt and glanced across the way at his opponent when his eyes raised and he suddenly looked away, as though he shouldn't be there just then. Carefully and quietly, he jumped across the way, back to the limo that would take them all home.

The two left on the river stood in silence for a few minutes, only the sound of the crashing waters around them and the far off taiko drums to indicate that time was still moving. Kisara finally let out a breathe she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Seto... that was... that was amazing..." She breathed out, her heart beating rapidly, "That was..."

She turned to look at him, realizing immediately that his face was right over her shoulder, his arms practically around her own thanks to his supporting her and directing her throughout the duel, but it wasn't just that... it was his heartbeat... she could feel it as her back touched his chest. Seto seemed suddenly aware of this too and blinked a bit, unsure of how to proceed.

"That was...?" He said, prompting her to fill in the blank and clearing his throat a bit at the same time.

Perhaps time was standing still. For both of them. Seto could feel her shoulders against his chest, her various braids pulling at his shirt's buttons, unintentionally getting entwined in them. Their faces so close that their noses could practically touch...

"That was..." She started, her heart racing, as only a whisper could finish her sentence, "Spectacular."

What was he doing? What were they doing? It felt so good. Just to be right here. Just the two of them. Like his heart was held captive by her delicate fingers, which gracefully caressed it in safety. How was any of this... Their faces, mere millimeters away... Kisara found her eyes lock with his, which seemed to sparkle in the graceful blue moonlight. Their lips were so close... this had to be... a dream...

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** ... don't kill anything because of that ending. Please don't. -hides- And with that chapter, I attempted to make dueling as romantic as humanly possible.

Later,

~Rena


	20. Chapter Twenty: 変わった余効 (Kawatta Yokou)

**Disclaimer:** Wouldn't that be nice, owning YGO, making money still after two decades, but alas, it is not so…

 **Author's Note:** Well, I hope those of you in the US had a lovely long Memorial Day weekend! I got to see Aladdin so… that's why this is coming out today and not yesterday, haha. Also random note, but considering the comments of a certain someone in this chapter…I want it clear that I love all the Hogwarts houses equally - I don't know about how Joey feels, but I kinda decided to give him the Gryffindor-ish outlook on the Slytherin house. Don't hate me for it. -hides- Anywho, onto today's vocab...

 _ **Terms-**_

 _Onigiri_ \- A rice ball; common breakfast, lunch, or snack food. Can come plain, covered in seaweed or sesame seeds, and/or have fillings.

 _Sengoku Jidai –_ Also known as the Sengoku Period of Japanese history or the Age of Warring States, this time period lasted from 1467-1600 or so. It was marked by severe political upheaval and almost consistent war amongst feudal lords and their clans vying for power.

 _Heian Jidai –_ Also known as the Heian Period, this time period was from 794 to 1185. Named after the city of Heian-kyo (Modern Day Kyoto) in which the Capital was at the time, the time was a period in which the Imperial Family held the most power, though were heavily influenced by the Fujiwara clan. Buddhism and other Chinese cultural influences made their way into Japan at the time as well. The word Heian means "peace".

 _Shintoism –_ Not just a Japanese word anymore, but I'll include it here – also known as "Kami-no-michi" (or Spirit's way/path), Shintoism is the traditional religion of Japan involving the worship of a multitude of spirits/gods/essences all known as "kami". The first recorded practices of the religion beginning around the 8th century. If you go to a Shrine in Japan today, it's a "Shinto" Shrine in comparison to Temples, which are Buddhist.

 _Tsutaya_ \- A book/DVD chain in Japan. There's a famous one near the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station where you can watch the Shibuya Crossing Scramble commence.

 _Aronia de Takazawa_ \- A high class expensive and exclusive restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo. Here, I've created a fictional secondary location in Domino City. Like it's implied, it's a French restaurant.

Today's chapter title means "Unusual Aftermath" and is actually a combination of two words meaning "unusual, change, or strange" and "aftermath/after-effect". I must admit, this one was a little hard for me - Not used to the words for "Aftermath" and there are a couple - but I think I was able to find the one closest to the meaning I was going for. If anyone else suggestions or knows of a better one after reading this chapter, let me know!

 **-YGO-**

" _Oh don't you dare look back_

 _Just keep your eyes on me_

 _I said you're holding back_

 _She said shut up and dance with me_

 _This woman is my destiny_

 _She said shut up and dance with me"_

-"Shut up and Dance" by WALK THE MOON

 **Chapter Twenty:** **変わった余効** **(Kawatta Yokou) **

Joey woke up to the sound of the air conditioner turning on automatically overhead. He could feel his hair sticking to the back of his neck and moaned, rolling over to his other side. What time was it? Lazily, he opened up one eye to look at the clock. He groaned. He was late. Sitting up, he scratched the back of his head and stretched before slipping his pants back over his boxers. He glanced around, expecting to see Yugi passed out, but only an empty blanket on the couch remained. Sighing, he went over to the fridge, grabbed his favorite, Pocari Sweat, and went over to the bathroom to wash his face.

Shooting a glance up to the mirror, he certainly looked out of it. That wouldn't do. He shook his head again and dumped his face under the cold water. That woke him up... kinda. His voice felt itchy and his stomach a little... active. Maybe it _was_ too much Ikayaki... He heard steps coming from upstairs and a few moments later, he saw Yugi pass by the staircase to the kitchen.

"Oi, you're gonna be late," He called.

"Look who's talking," Yugi yelled back lightly, grabbing an onigiri from the fridge.

Joey poked his head out and stretched again, "At least I'm my own boss."

"Keep telling yourself that," Yugi said, smirking a bit.

"I will!" Joey said with an amused smile. He was about to go back and brush his teeth when he heard something from his friend.

"Hey, Joey..."

Joey came out again, "Yeah, Yug?"

"Do me a favor?" He asked, "Can you ask Kisara to stay after work? I wanna talk to her about some stuff."

Joey nodded, "Yeah, will do."

Yugi smiled, "Thanks."

And with that, he was out the door. Joey returned to the sink and began to rinse his mouth out of whatever had been allowed to breed inside it over the past night. They had all gotten back to the shop rather late. Amazingly, he and Yugi ended up playing Duel Monsters for what felt like hours. Dueling, restructuring, strategizing, dueling again. It had been fun, something he and Yugi hadn't done for hours on end in a long time... years even. In the end, they had finally passed out in the living room, forgetting about all other responsibilities. That is, until this morning.

Spitting out the remaining toothpaste, Joey washed his mouth out and shook his head. It had been surprising, that Yugi dueled the way he did too. He had a lot more focus than normal. He strategized a little more intently. Not that Joey had ever beaten Yugi in the past, but normally he could get an edge over him at least sometimes. Not last night. Not that it wasn't fun, it was just... well, he was glad that Yugi seemed to have some of his fire back in him. He just hoped it lasted...

Opening his drink and deliberately destroying any reason for why he had decided to brush his teeth in the first place, he unlocked the door to the shop and began opening it up. To his surprise, the door opened within minutes of his unlocking it. He turned to see Kisara, her hair in a high ponytail.

"Morning sunshine," He said with a smile.

Kisara turned to see him, beaming, "Good morning, Joey. How was your day yesterday?"

Joey shrugged, "Aw, ya know, it was good. Beat Tristan and Bakura at our Ikayaki contest..."

The shop manager found himself trailing off when his eyes finally settled on his employee. She looked... different somehow. Her hair, though up, was a little messy and she looked incredibly tired, but at the same time... happy. Like, really happy. And awake. And energetic. Not that she wasn't always looking great when it came to work but... this was different.

"You okay?" He asked, though the question sounded odd to him even as he said it.

"Hm?" She looked up from taking her light blue shoes off and slipping into her work flats, "Oh, yeah! I'm fine. Just a little tired. Didn't get home till 3 or so..."

Joey blinked, "3? In the morning?"

Kisara nodded, "Yeah, we took the Shinkansen to Kyoto and then drove home, which took a little over an hour, I think. Oh!"

Reaching into her pocket, Kisara pulled out Joey's phone, "Thank you for letting me borrow it. I really appreciate it."

Joey, surprised, took the phone and nodded, "No problem... You didn't run into any problems, did you?"

"Oh no!" Kisara said, smiling, "It was... it was amazing! I'd never known places like the ones in Kyoto could exit! And Seto taught me so much about Japanese history, what with the Sengoku Jidai, Heian Jidai, Shintoism..."

She seemed to trail off in thought and Joey blinked, "Oh, well... glad you had fun then."

"I did!" Kisara said happily, running past him and behind the counter to start her day's work.

Joey turned to her, still a little stunned, when she picked up a few boxes of Duel Monsters merchandise and exclaimed, "Oh! And I used a Duel Disk for the first time!"

Joey's eyes widened, "You did?! How? When?"

"Last night!" She said, "I see why you and Yugi enjoy it so much. It's just... magical."

Joey couldn't help but smile at the word she choose, thinking of how ironic it was for her to use it of all people. After all, wasn't she here by magic?

"Oh! And Seto said his company was releasing an improved version of the duel disks soon! Did you know?" She asked.

Joey nodded, "Yeah, there's been rumors for a couple months now and then there was an official announcement about a month or so ago."

"Will we be selling them?" Kisara inquired.

"Probably," Joey said with an amused smile, "Though unlike the cards, we probably won't be the first to get them. Kaiba keeps those close to the chest. Yugi will likely get one though."

"How come?" Kisara asked.

"Because Pegasus will give him one," Joey said, "Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp have a weird... alliance if you could call it that. So Pegasus gets a set of new disks before they get released anywhere else. And he's sure to give one to Yugi. He always does."

Kisara nodded, but sensing a little melancholy in Joey's voice, slowed her words, "Are you... jealous of that?"

"Hm?" Joey looked up, "Oh, uh, no, not really. I mean, kinda, but not... it's not a big deal. Especially if it keeps him from getting in a funk or something... He and I played last night for the first time in ages for real. Like, for real for real. He didn't hold back. It was great."

"Did you win at all?" Kisara asked.

Joey shook his head, "Naw, I never do. But you know, when you play with friends, it's not about winning or losing. It's about the spirit in which you play. Just like in sports, you know? And Yugi... he needed a tough opponent. And not to brag, but I run some pretty strong decks, if I do say so myself."

Kisara smiled at Joey's confidence, but also... she put together the pieces of what he was saying. His friends were the most important. That's what he cared about most...

"Joey... do you ever do anything? I mean, for yourself?" She said, coming around the counter with the boxes.

"Hm? Why do you ask?" Joey said, going back behind the counter and beginning to unlock some of the drawers for convenience.

"Just... I don't know, I just don't think I've ever seen you do something for yourself..." Kisara said with a shrug.

"Well, if I did that, this shop wouldn't run so smoothly," He quipped, "Now come on, we open in five!"

Kisara nodded and started to restock the shelves with the items in the box. Joey watched out of the corner of his eye, despite himself. The way her movements seemed so intent, but slowed by physical exhaustion - She just seemed so tired... it was... odd that she'd also have so much energy...

"Kisara..." He said slowly, "Are you sure nothing happened last night that was... I don't know... important or something? Kaiba didn't... say or do anything he shouldn't have, did he?"

His employee glanced up at him and then at the floor, seeming to recall last night. But after a moment, she unconsciously smiled widely and brought a finger up to her lips, a deep blush coming to her face, when she returned her gaze to Joey.

"No, he didn't, everything went fine," She told him with a smile.

Joey found himself both blushing and feeling like he was losing the color in his face at the same time. She really was cute when she smiled but... Despite what she said, Joey felt something similar to what he felt when he first found out that Tristan and Serenity had been dating for a month without him knowing.

But in a way it all felt worse... because it had to do with Seto Kaiba.

Not that Kisara had said that it had been a date... nor had she implied that she was unhappy... but maybe that was it. Because if Joey knew one thing about Seto Kaiba, it was that he was an egotistical, conniving user worthy of being placed in the Slytherin House had they all attended JK Rowling's magical school of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. About Seto's only redeeming factor in Joey's eyes was that Seto seemed to at least have a heart when it came to his brother... but that was it. He'd never seen Kaiba once show any amount of concern for anyone else. Certainly not himself or Yugi or any of Kaiba's employees. He just used people... and then threw them away. As he went over to the door to flip the sign in the window to open, he glanced back to see Kisara smiling away as she picked up the empty box and brought it back behind the counter.

He could only pray that Kaiba wasn't doing the same to her as he did everyone else.

 **-YGO-**

"Uh huh. Uh huh. Hmm... I see... Yes. No. No, we're not scrimping on the display... Well, then take it from sales... not like they need it anyway..."

KaibaCorp's walls were experiencing an amazing lull in the volume of sound coming from its CEO's office. Mokuba sat upside down on the couch playing on his iPhone with Duel Links while his brother worked away on the upcoming launch of the newest duel disk system which was set to launch at the end of the week. To Seto's left, Isono stood growing increasingly uncomfortable with the present situation. Since the beginning of the day, his boss had been in a rather... good mood to say the least, handling setbacks with a calm and logical demeanor. Despite this, his brother seemed to be refusing to acknowledge his existence, only doing so when necessary.

"Alright, we'll do a run down on Thursday," Seto said, "Thanks."

With that, the phone was set down in the unusually calm manner by which Seto had done so all day. Isono made sure his stance was upright and straight in case Seto would need something, but his younger boss merely sat back and stretched before standing up and grabbing his suit jacket.

"I'm going to lunch. I'll be back in an hour," He said.

Mokuba only glared at him as he watched his brother exit without a word. Isono observed the whole thing, rather transfixed. While it was common to see Mokuba happy and Seto not, it was completely uncommon to see it the other way around. In fact, Isono would dare say he'd never seen that.

Finally, their employee cleared his throat, "Um... Master Mokuba... are you not going to join him?"

Mokuba shot Isono a death glare, "I'd rather eat dirt than join that moron."

"Master... Mokuba?" Isono barely managed before Mokuba did a flip onto his knees and stood, brushing himself off, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine and for that matter, so is that dufas," Mokuba said throwing his hands up into the air, when his phone vibrated in his hand.

Picking it up, Mokuba groaned upon seeing the email and ran out after his brother. He just made it to the elevator where Seto was and jumped in, "Nii-sama."

"You trying to break the elevator?" Seto asked surprised, when Mokuba just barely made it inside, making the doors shutter violently at the shock.

"No, Pegasus wants to meet with you regarding the Duel Disk release," Mokuba said.

"He does?" Seto said, picking up his phone to check.

Mokuba repressed the urge to roll his eyes. Just as he had suspected, Seto's mood had alleviated his dependence on his phone and all incoming messages. Seto read through the email briefly and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Idiot, why now of all times?" He asked sarcastically.

"Maybe to join in similar company," Mokuba muttered, but Seto caught it and sent him a sharp glance.

"Get over it," Seto said, though as he went for his contact list, a realization hit him. Even though he and Kisara had been meeting for weeks now... he still didn't have her number...

"You have the Game Shop's number?" Seto asked Mokuba.

"Why don't you Google it?" Mokuba responded, annoyed.

It was Seto's turn to roll his eyes. Taking his brother's suggestion, he typed it in and hit the call button. Nothing. Just voicemail.

"Yeah, they never answer," Mokuba mentioned as the elevator hit the bottom floor.

Right as the doors began to open, Seto swiped his card and hit the "Close Doors" button, locking the two of them inside. Mokuba's eyes went wide and he glanced up at his brother, who had stopped his escape.

"Hey, what gives?" Mokuba demanded.

"Give me your phone," Seto said.

"Why?" Mokuba asked, annoyed.

"Because, I need to make a call," Seto said.

"Use yours," Mokuba snapped.

"I can't; give it," Seto answered.

"Why not?" Mokuba inquired, still holding his phone tightly.

Seto stood back and fumed silently, debating as to if he wanted to explain or not, when he sighed and relented, "Because the only person she'd be with is Wheeler and I blocked his number."

"That shouldn't stop you from calling him though," Mokuba said, scrutinizing his elder.

"Fine, he blocked me too," Seto said.

Mokuba snickered, "How'd you find that out?"

Seto crossed his arms and pursed his lips before answering, "He was pestering our sales guys over shipments and I called to tell him off about a month back... And I got a 'disconnected' line... but it worked on my desk phone."

Mokuba broke out in laughter, "Oh boy, Nii-sama, who'd have thought that Wheeler would bother to burn you like that..."

"Just give me your phone," Seto spat angrily.

"I don't know, I don't think you deserve it," Mokuba said, catching his breath.

"Mokuba, so help me..."

"Oh don't have a cow," Mokuba said, holding his phone out for his brother.

Seto snatched it out of his brother's hand as fast as lightning and opened the contact list. There it was, Joey Wheeler. He hit the call button and with the most irritated look one could have, waited for the other line to answer. Mokuba wasn't sure if his brother's face was worse before or after they heard the first word.

"Hello?"

"Wheeler, is Kisara with you?" Seto said, getting right to the point.

In the game shop, Joey's eyebrow raised, surprised by who was talking on the other line. He looked between Kisara, who had just finished taking inventory and the computer he was in front of.

"Yeah... Kaiba... here she is..." Joey said hesitantly, "Kisara, it's for you."

"For me?" She asked, sliding over in her soft slippers over to the phone, "Hello?"

"Kisara, it's me," Seto said, in the most professional business manner that he could, "I'm sorry, I had an unexpected lunch meeting come up today... If you still want to practice though, I can meet up with you around 1 for about half an hour..."

"Um, hang on, let me see if I can do that," Kisara said, looking over to Joey, "Hey, Joey, could I take lunch at 12:30 instead of 12?"

Joey nodded slowly, though Kisara barely noticed, "Yeah, I can do that. Do you want to still meet up at the restaurant or..."

"No, we can meet elsewhere... how about Tsutaya? There's a Starbucks in there where we could sit down and practice," Seto suggested.

"Tsutaya?" She repeated, "Sure."

"Alright, see you at 1," Seto said, "Bye."

"Bye," She said, letting the receiver click off.

She looked back up at Joey and smiled, handing the phone back to him.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, we just moved lunch plans back a bit," She said with a smile.

Joey nodded, concerned, but saying nothing. Back at KaibaCorp, Seto let a sigh of relief out and handed the phone back to Mokuba, before picking his own up and dialing a second number.

"Kaiba boy!"

Seto resisted the urge to gag, "Pegasus, you can have my attention for thirty minutes max and no more."

"Excellent!" Pegasus responded, elated, the sound of which made Seto shudder, "Let's meet at the new Aronia de Takazawa in 15."

Seto's nose twitched; he hated French food, "Fine. Take care of it."

With that, he shut the phone, doing what he did best, silently fume. Mokuba watched, amused as Seto swiped the card through the control panel to let them both out. As Seto swiftly made his way out and down the steps to the exit, Mokuba mused how panicked the valet would be momentarily, seeing as how Seto hadn't been using the car lately at his lunch hour. Cracking his neck, Mokuba walked out, intent on heading to the cafeteria and raiding the snack bar. As annoyed as he was with Seto, the fact that his brother had to meet with Pegasus instead of Kisara for lunch essentially made up for his brother's blunder from yesterday. Essentially.

As the car drove around to the front, the CEO barely noticed the valet climb out and instantly got in the car, speeding off as quickly as he could to make this meeting as quick as he could possibly make it.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So hopefully you guys don't hate me too much for the little time skip… but I promise it will be worth it in the end. And also hopefully the chapter wasn't too short. I realize it's much shorter than the last few, but pacing wise, I think that I prefer the shortness for what's going on and what's coming. There will be longer chapters in the future though, promise. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Later,

~Rena


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: 雪 (Yuki)

**Disclaimer:** Still gets me every time… but nope, I don't own anything.

 **Author's Note:** Well, it's nearing that half way point in the year. How are those New Years' Resolutions coming? Long forgotten? Still on them? Mine are surprisingly not doing too bad. I had a bout of illness that prevented me from my gym goals for about two months, but now that I'm mostly healed up, I'm back at the gym and it feels great! That's a good thing for me as a writer too - helps my mind get pumping with inspiration (doesn't hurt that I bring things to read while there, haha). Anywho, let's get on with the story!

 _ **Terms -**_

 _Hand Shaking -_ This is a much more western way of greeting and Americans, like Pegasus, are well known for it as they tend to have "strong grips" (in the US, a strong grip tends to signify confidence). (Lol, I am not one of those people though, I have weak hands - 'cept for game playing of course) XD

 _Kimochi Warui -_ Literally translates to "Bad feeling", but can also be translated to mean "creepy" - I tend to think of that sensation where you get goosebumps at the thought of something - just an uneasy, unsettling feeling.

 _Otaru -_ A town in Northern Hokkaido near Sapporo, known for making traditional glass buoys and music boxes. In the winter, it hosts the Otaru Snow Light Path.

 _Snow Light Path -_ a festival taking place in Otaru with thousands of lanterns lit by candle light downtown near and around the town's Canal. I went in 2016 and it was beautiful! Definitely recommend it!

Today's chapter title means "snow". Allow me to now indulge you with one of my favorite songs too… ;)

 **-YGO-**

" _The feelings I can't voice,_

 _Oh look, snowflakes..._

 _Just become pure white powdered snow,_

 _This is no fantasy,_

 _And falls on your shoulders..._

 _Even if I were to be reborn someday,_

 _No matter what, I would love you again..._

 _Oh I... like this. Oh I..._

 _Let it - let it snow... So, let it snow... Furasete (snow)..."_

-"Snowflakes" by X4

 **Chapter Twenty-One:** **雪** **(Yuki)**

Pegasus sat at one of the two tables in the whole restaurant contently. He didn't really care for French food, but Kaiba hated it, so it gave him just a tad bit of pleasure knowing that they were meeting here and not elsewhere. Not to mention that the decor of this place suited his fancy much more than others. Low key luxury. Yes, this was what having class got you.

He looked up at the sound of a door opening. From his seat, he could see the shadow of the tall young man he was meeting bursting in and pausing to fix his tie. He raised a brow as the young CEO shook off the rushed state, straightened his back, and walked into the room, completely composed. But just barely. He smiled warmly.

"Kaiba boy, glad you could join me!" He said, standing up and extending a hand to shake, which Kaiba only stared at before walking around to the other side of the table, slamming his briefcase down and sitting down with his legs crossed.

His hands weaved into their typical position together. Clearly the boy was impatient today. His interest was peaked.

"I suppose you want to get right to the point?" Pegasus assumed, as he snapped for their food to be brought out. Seto blinked, his stare unmoving.

Right, definitely annoyed.

Pegasus sat back before bringing a portfolio up to the table, when Seto finally spoke, "This had better be good, Pegasus. If I recall, I already sent you all of the specs for the Duel Disk. So this better not be a waste of time."

"Kaiba, I wouldn't dream of calling you out here for things you already sent me," Pegasus said, though he mentally amused himself with the thought of finding some way to do so before continuing, "No, no, this is about the concept design for the new card..."

He opened the portfolio to reveal a large piece of heavy, drawing paper. Clearly outlined was the matrix for a basic Duel Monsters card, but the center contained a basic shape and design of a male human, with a face very similar to the young CEO. Seto quickly noted that there were photos of his face on the opposite side of the portfolio and repressed the urge to be slightly creeped out by the matter. Instead, he focused on the image within the card's center, a rather confused, scrutinizing look on his face.

"Don't tell me your forgot, Kaiba boy," Pegasus said, "The card based off of your likeness. I prepared a basic concept for you to review."

Pegasus slid the portfolio over to Seto for him to examine more closely. Seto's eyes scanned the image closer. The figure seemed to have a card in hand. He glanced up at Pegasus.

"You really did forget, didn't you?" Pegasus said, a little surprised and stunned. He shrugged, "I'm hurt, though... I'm sure whatever it was to push this from your mind the other night... must have been important..."

Seto glared, "What exactly are you... portraying here, Pegasus?"

Pegasus smiled, "The figure will wear your signature dueling coat and have your likeness. Furthermore, we'll give it a Duel Monsters card in hand. The idea behind the card is for the special effect to allow one to special summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon from one's hand by tributing said card immediately upon setting this card in attack position if one chooses to do so."

At that Seto's eyes went wide. A card... to allow him to summon the Blue Eyes nearly immediately? It made his stomach lurch, but in an...excited way. This could mean...

"So... you intend to create a card... specifically about me, for me to use?" Seto stated hesitantly, "You're toying with me."

"Oh, Kaiba, if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't resort to such a method as this," Pegasus said, the veiled threat rather... transparent, but Seto could tell that Pegasus didn't care, "No, I'm being completely serious. What better special effect could I possibly give a card revolving around your likeness? It will only have a small attack point number, of 200, but I think that's only appropriate."

"Who would want a card of only 200 attack if the special ability is related to the Blue Eyes? I'm the only one who would use it," Seto pointed out.

"Hold your horses, Kaiba, I'm getting to that," Pegasus explained as their food came, though they barely noticed, " I decided on 200 attack points to represent you and your brother. 100 points for you and 100 for him. He is, after all, I dare say, part of what gives you your fire and strength."

Seto's eyes narrowed, but he let Pegasus continue, "It would have 700 defense points as 7 is the eternal number, representing your never ending determination in the face of great obstacles."

"Like you?" Seto inserted, his own threats coming through.

Pegasus looked into Seto's eyes before a thin smile came to his face and answered simply, "Precisely."

Seto looked over the image again, "So what do you want from me right now exactly?"

"Approval," Pegasus stated, "It's pointless to continue on if you don't approve. I don't personally find myself a fan of lawsuits and trust me, I've gone through a fare share of those in America."

"I don't doubt that," Seto said bitterly, looking over the design.

A ping came from Kaiba's phone and he instantly pulled it out. It was time to go. He could only thank whatever lucky stars he had for such fortune, if there even were such things. Having not even taken a bite, Seto stood up and grabbed his briefcase, "Go ahead furthering the design."

He moved to go when a thought came to him - the fact that Pegasus of all people had pictures of him in his portfolio. He briefly debated if he really wanted to give up having his face on a Duel Monsters card, but… the kimochi warui feeling he got from knowing about all of the photos bothered him immensely.

Quickly, he added, "But I'd rather not be so obviously the subject of a card..."

Perhaps that would quell his unease. Pegasus watched as Seto essentially snubbed him by cutting their meeting short and heading towards the door. He sat back as he watched Kaiba leave, slamming the door behind him. Well... that had been interesting. He'd rarely seen Kaiba disheveled and when he had, it had been related to his brother. As far as he knew though, both Kaiba brothers were healthy and safe. The younger's Twitter stream proved that well enough.

He turned to his food and took a bite. At the very least, he could surmise that Kaiba had... something else that was occupying his time. Something important enough to let things like a card dedicated to him slip to the far corners of his mind. And that wasn't something to be said lightly. This was, after all, Seto Kaiba. He smiled.

Very interesting.

 **-YGO-**

The smell of freshly brewed coffee pervaded the shop as Kisara entered. For the life in her, she couldn't understand why people drank coffee in the middle of the summer. It was hot, wasn't it? She shook her head and looked around. She'd never been inside Tsutaya, but her immediate impression was that it might as well be a maze. How was she supposed to find Seto here?

Stepping inside and out of the way of fellow customers, she wandered in looking around, when she saw rows of books stacked up along the shelves. Her eyes widened. How was... she stepped closer to the shelves, only to realize that the shelves kept going far past her. Above were labels of subjects and topics. Cooking. Job Promotions. Study Resources. Fiction. Foreign Languages. Religion. Politics... As she passed through slowly, Kisara's blue eyes landed on one topic in particular.

Travel.

Hesitantly, she looked at the books on the bookcase in front of her, reading the various titles. Beautiful Britain. Fodor's America. China, the Empire. India for the Food Enthusiast. Hokkaido, the Winter Wonderland. World Travel, 101 Places to See Before You Die. Tokyo, Edo's Modern Metropolitan Wonder. Glancing around, she saw many others taking books off of the shelf and paging through them. Carefully, she reached out and pulled out the one on Hokkaido.

Thumbing through it, she saw pictures of ice sculptures three stories tall, floating glass lanterns, candles lit in a white fluffy looking material, graceful looking people wearing metal on the bottom of their shoes to glide across large fields of ice. _Ice skating,_ it said. And that's when it hit her, there weren't just pictures. There were words... this whole place was a library of information. She quickly skimmed over the pages. Soba Noodles and Festivals. Old Clock Towers and men from a place called the USA helping to building the grid structure. Contests and an event called the Olympics in 1972. Romantic walks in Otaru during the Snow Light Path...Snow... Words began to flood her mind when another realization hit her... one of joy.

She could read. And not only could she read, but she was in a place that contained such a wealth of knowledge... she may never be able to obtain or read it all. She didn't know if she could read before she had come to this world, maybe she had and she had certainly taken it for granted up until this point, but… what a marvelous thing. It was a little overwhelming, but... it gave her a warm feeling as she looked up at the sign reading travel. What else must there be? Her eyes caught another book's title "Ancient Egypt: The Greatest Mysteries Come To Light". On the side, a pyramid stood proudly, almost glittering... She felt like she recognized it.

Reaching out to pull out the book, she was startled out of the motion by a voice, "Kisara."

She jumped and turned to her left to see Seto, who watched her intently, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, no, no, it's fine," She said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear, "I was just... looking."

Seto glanced down at the book in her hands, "Hokkaido?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I saw there was this... travel section. And with our adventure in Kyoto, I wanted to see what else there was out there," She said, almost embarrassed.

He read over the book's title and others in the area, "Have you ever been up north?"

"Uh.. no, I don't think so," Kisara said, "The snow looks beautiful."

Seto smirked, "Yeah, beautiful and cold. Very cold."

"Oh..." Kisara said, trailing off, "I see... I wouldn't know..."

Seto stood awkwardly before clearing his throat, "So... I'm guessing you'd like to travel more?"

Kisara nodded, "I think so, maybe someday. Hokkaido... maybe it's too cold. But it still looks beautiful and there looks like a vast array of other places to go as well in the world... Do you have any favorites?"

The gaming champion glanced over the titles before pulling out the one on Tokyo, "It's not really beautiful... but I enjoy Tokyo to some degree."

"How come?" She asked, "What's in Tokyo?"

Seto sighed, flipping through the book, "What isn't in Tokyo? Though... I enjoy the city landscape the most I think... some of the most spectacular duels take place in the skies above Tokyo."

Kisara smiled widely, though she tried to hide it, "Well, I don't know about that..."

Seto's eyes flashed at her, "And why is that?"

"Well..." Kisara started, but then she paused before awkwardly finishing, "I think the most spectacular duel... was the one in Kyoto... last night..."

A deep red flushed over Seto's face and they both instantly looked at their shoes at the mention of... yesterday. Kisara looked over the cover of the book in her hands, covered in what looked like white sand that Seto had said was cold... maybe it was, but she hoped that she could experience it... one day. It would be a nice change from the hot sands of... her eyes landed on the book on Egypt again... her Kemet.

Seto shrugged, "There are many more places where dueling has an appeal... you alright?"

Kisara came out of her trance and quickly looked away from the book on the shelf, "Oh, uh, yeah, uh... sorry."

"For what?" Seto asked.

Kisara shrugged looking at her shoes, the only thing she really owned, "Nothing, sorry."

"Alright..." Seto replied slowly, "Did you already have lunch?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I grabbed something from Lawsons," Kisara filled in.

Seto nodded, "Ah, well, uh, I really didn't eat; would you mind if we stopped by Starbucks?"

Kisara shook her head, "No, that's fine."

She placed the book back on the shelf and started to head to the cafe she had seen to her right upon entering, when Seto spoke, "You're not buying it?"

"Huh?" Kisara turned around, her hair whipping around her, "Oh, uh, no, I, I don't think so. I don't need it."

Though Seto normally would have scrutinized her answer, seeing her spin in the light from the windows... it felt like the worst distraction. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Alright. Let's go."

Walking up to the smell of brewing coffee, Kisara sat down while Seto went up to order something. Returning shortly to the table, he sat down and relaxed in his seat, letting his shoulders slouch. Kisara smiled, people watching, while Seto took a breath, leaning back. Slowly, he sat up.

"I'm not sure how much duel practice we can get in today. My apologies," He said, taking a sip of his frappuccino.

"It's alright... it's nice to just get out, you know?" Kisara replied happily, when she eyed his drink, which looked much more like the white sand on the book than the dark murky color of coffee she was used to seeing now, "Is that... coffee?"

Seto raised a brow, "Oh, no, it's one of their classic frappuccinos. You've never had one?"

"No, what's it like?"

"You wanna try?" He said, offering it to her, "If you don't mind my germs that is."

Kisara laughed, "You don't mind mine?"

Seto shrugged, "Can't be any worse than Mokuba's and I'm pretty sure he steals my toothbrush when I'm not looking."

Kisara snorted in laughter and covered her face in embarrassment before taking the drink and sipping it up, "Is this vanilla?"

"Yeah, it's good for a hot day like today and I don't like the fruity stuff they have," Seto said, "And the chocolate always stains."

"It's delish!" She said, using a word that Tea had taught her and taking another sip, "Oh, and cold."

She pushed it back to Seto and swatted her hands at her head, a brain freeze taking effect. He smiled, "You still want to go to a cold place like Hokkaido?"

As the brain freeze subsided, Kisara laughed and nodded, "Even if it's that cold, I think it would be worth it."

"How come?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Because... eventually, the cold will go away, right?" She supposed, "I mean, the cold in the frappu...frappe... that, went away. And it was so good you know? So why not take that chance? And see all there is to see?"

"I... never really thought about it that way," Seto mused.

"Well, how did you think about it?" Kisara asked, curious, "What were you going to do with your life without experiencing new things?"

Seto's eyes raised a bit, when he found himself in thought, finally coming to some kind of answer, "My life... it's for... gaining... things for my brother. So that he can live a good life..."

The conversation turning serious all of a sudden, Kisara found herself in shock, finding such words hard to believe, "You mean, nothing you've done... nothing has been for yourself?"

Seto thought about it for a moment before responding, "No... I... When I duel, that's for myself, but only that... Not like it really gets me anywhere anyway though... not after Yugi's triumph."

Kisara sat back as the two sat in silence. People passed by, purchasing books, coffee, frappuccinos, CDs, and cards, but Kisara couldn't help but ponder over what Seto had just said. She felt… he deserved better.

"Oh... I see..." She said finally, "Well, I hope that you one day it does get you where you want to go and if it doesn't... I hope that something else comes along especially for you."

Seto blinked, "Uh... thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," Kisara answered, a sweet smile beaming brightly at him, "So, what kept you from coming earlier?"

"Oh, it was Pegasus again," Seto said, "He wanted to show me concept art for that new card they want to, you know, base off of my likeness."

"Already?" Kisara asked, "That was quick."

"Yeah, well, Pegasus has a habit of being a bit of a creep in that way," Seto explained.

"Did it look good though?" Kisara asked, "The concept art, that is."

Seto shrugged, "It looked fine, though I feel like it was lacking something... also I wasn't too sure how I felt about my actual face being on a card... something about it didn't sit well with me."

Kisara nodded, "Did you tell him?"

"Yeah, I said something about it. Quickly left after that, he's such a pervert," Seto told her.

"A... pervert?" Kisara repeated.

"Essentially, just a real weirdo at times," Kaiba told her, his evident opinion of Pegasus being much less than favorable, "Oh, but that reminds me."

Picking up his briefcase, he unclasped the sides to open it slightly and pull out a thin sheet of paper and handed it to Kisara.

"What's this?" She asked.

"That's your ticket to the unveiling of the new Duel Disk," Seto explained, "And if you dare give it to anyone else I will never speak to you again."

Kisara laughed, "Thank you! But who would I give it to?"

"I don't know; Wheeler?" Seto mentioned, "And by the way, what's your number? You have no idea how annoying it was to have to call Wheeler to get a hold of you."

"Oh..." Kisara trailed off, "I uh, I don't have a phone..."

Seto stared at her, "You're kidding."

"Um... no?" Kisara said, shrugging apologetically.

"Why not?" Seto questioned, "Didn't you have one last night?"

"Oh, that, that one was actually Joey's... he was worried so he lent it to me," Kisara explained.

"He was worried?" Seto repeated, a slight edge in his voice coming out.

"I don't know why he was," Kisara brushing it off a bit, "He just, didn't want me without a way to reach Yugi or them if I was out of Domino."

"Oh..." Seto said, sitting back, trying to let it roll off him as well. But it didn't. And it irked him that Wheeler had said anything to her, "Well, do you have an email?"

She shook her head 'no' again and he sighed, "Alright, then how about this, you live with Gardner right? I'll call her or the Game Shop to get a hold of you. But you better answer the Game Shop phone. Because if I have to speak to Wheeler again, you won't be hearing from me."

Kisara smiled and flipped her hair out of her face, "Alright, roger that. But who says I want to hear from you?"

Taken aback by the playful remark, a move he hadn't expected, Seto pursed his lips, "How else are you going to learn Duel Monsters?"

"You already taught me the basics though," Kisara said a melodic sound coming from her voice as she spoke and Seto could swear she was toying with him... somehow.

"Well... don't tell me you want to spend your lunches at Lawsons every day only to run back to the store to have Wheeler work you to death," He replied.

"He's not working me to death-"

"Yeah, but he would if you had nothing else to do," Seto shot, "Lazy good for nothing manager that he is."

Kisara rolled her eyes. They weren't getting anywhere, "Fine. I promise I'll pick up the phone... but if you had to call Joey to get a hold of me, would you?"

Seto paused, his threats poked at for authenticity being something he wasn't used to. He watched her as she intently waited for his answer. It had to be honest. He knew it. That's what she wanted, after all. He swallowed.

"Yes, I would," He answered finally.

A warmth entered Kisara's chest along with what felt like millions of tiny beautiful butterflies. She smiled.

"Thank you," Came the soft reply.

"You're welcome," Came the equally awkward one.

"So... will you be using the Blue Eyes today?" Kisara asked, excitedly.

Seto's eyes narrowed and sat back, "As if this crowd deserves to even gaze upon them."

"May I then?"

"Use them or see them?"

"Both."

Seto watched her, trying to gauge how serious she was as last night's memories returned to him... The cool water splashing up on the rocks. The spectacular beast soaring around them and it's crystal like shattering pieces dancing in her eyes... being so close... It had felt so good...

But he had shied away, unsure that it was... that it was even right of him to be so forward. But she had still held his hand the whole way home. And the way he felt... he could trust her. He smiled back at her, amused, but... happy all at once.

"... Another time."

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So took a while to get to the meaning behind this chapter, but I like it none the less. And seriously, if you're not familiar with the band X4, go google them. They're wonderful and great fun to see live (-might have been to a number of their concerts at this point…. ). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Till next time!

Later,

~Rena


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: 招待券 (Shotaiken)

**Disclaimer:** What a lofty goal, owning "Yu-Gi-Oh!"... one that I'm nowhere near achieving.

 **Author's Note:** Hello loves! I hope you've had a wonderful month! Mine has been so busy! Went to Iceland, been working on my website and what's this? Been working on cosplay again? Oh my! ^_^ But I've also had the chance to sit down and reply to all of you wonderful reviewers! Thank you all so very much for sending in your thoughts and kind comments. It helps keep me going as a writer. To those of you who wrote "Guest" reviews, unfortunately, I can't respond back, but I wish to thank all of you as well! Hopefully I managed to answer as many questions as you guys sent in - those I couldn't answer, I hope you'll forgive me! Those were likely questions that may spoil something down the road, and I wouldn't want to do that (I want to keep the story exciting for you!). Still though, thank you so very much again and I hope you continue reading! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, so I hope all of you will get pumped after reading this as well. And with that, let's get on with the terms!

 _ **Terms-**_

 _Ikemen -_ Term for a very handsome, attractive guy. Lots of male characters in shojo manga are often referred to as "ikemen" - sometimes it's associated with having a pretty face, but it is exclusive to men.

 _Working late in Japan -_ This is very common. It shows dedication to your work and your job, so it's not uncommon for people to stay late and work into the evening hours.

Today's chapter title means a "Complimentary Ticket", "Invitation Card", or "Invitation Ticket". In other words, a ticket to an event of some kind that you only get via invitation. It can be used for promotional purposes, but also for exclusive events.

 **-YGO-**

" _Don't listen to them,_

 _'Cause what do they knowm_

 _We need each other, to have, to hold,_

 _They'll see in time, I know.._

…

 _You'll be here in my heart,_

 _Always."_

-"You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins

 **Chapter Twenty-Two:** **招待券** **(Shotaiken)**

Inside the art gallery, lay forgotten canvases of abandoned sketches or designs along with some finished pieces wrapped and ready for the digital transfer. It was unbelievably messy though, for someone such as Maximillion Pegasus, whose normal appearance was rather immaculate. Sitting on a stole, re-sketching the design and trying to come up with some sort of idea to hide Kaiba's face, he continuously erased, drew, erased, and repeated. He personally was rather irked that Kaiba didn't want his face on the card. He was, as the young ladies of Japan would call him, a true ikemen, and he liked it when his cards had some sort of dashing beauty to them. But if he didn't want to be sued, he'd have to find some sort of compromise.

A knock on the door came and he answered, "Come in."

The large wooden door opened to reveal his new hire, Bakura, standing with the day's report for him, "I don't have any real findings today, other than failed replications of the incident with the Dark Magician Girl or Dark Magician, now that we finally were able to do so in a safe location..."

"I didn't expect as much," Pegasus said, putting down his pencil and standing up, "You have no connection to either, after all."

"Well, if indeed, the Blue Eyes was summoned, then it would seem necessary to have the summoner be connected with the creature or being in some way, making your initial assumptions correct," Bakura remarked.

"Too bad we don't have a Diabound tablet to test it out on," Pegasus said offhandedly, but the comment made Ryo go stiff.

"I wouldn't recommend testing it out with a Diabound anyway," Ryo said, trying to sidestep the comment.

"So, in other words, to replicate such a thing, we'd have to get Yugi-boy to do the same as Kaiba?" Pegasus mused.

"It's... possible," Ryo said slowly, "Though why you need to replicate it..."

"Call it curiosity," Pegasus elaborated.

"I prefer to call it 'not recommended'," Ryo replied, rather curtly, "In any case-"

"Well, Bakura, just for argument's sake, let's just suppose that the Blue Eyes is out there somewhere; do you really want a massive dragon running about the place?" Pegasus interrupted.

"No, of course not-" Ryo started, but was again cut off.

"Exactly," Pegasus stated, "So, without a duplicate event to practice with, how can we possibly expect to get rid of the Blue Eyes successfully? The method of return needs to be established. Not that I think it will take long to duplicate..."

Ryo watched Pegasus carefully. He didn't buy for a second that Pegasus actually would want to get rid of the Blue Eyes, but regardless... he did, if it was out there, that was true...

"So... you expect Muto to attempt to duplicate the event?" Ryo guessed.

"Without question," Pegasus said, pouring himself some mineral water and taking a gulp.

"If I may, I think you overestimate Muto significantly, Pegasus, sir," Ryo said carefully, as Pegasus finished.

"I think _you_ underestimate him, Ryo," Pegasus replied simply, "The things we do to try to regain the things we've lost are often much more than we even expect of ourselves."

Ryo watched as Pegasus walked back to the sketch of the new card, his eyes narrowing on the subject, which Pegasus was attempting to alter around the head... the head... Maybe... He smiled, an idea allowing him to relax a bit.

"You are awfully confident that Yugi would qualify as the summoner," He said, turning to go, "After all, he's not the Pharaoh. Kaiba on the other hand may still have a connection to his past reincarnation..."

Pegasus' head swirled and his one eye that could always be seen through his hair watching his employee seemed to smile. Reaching into his pocket, he stood without making a sound.

As Ryo moved for the door, he found himself nearly surprised out of his skin by a hand being placed on his shoulder and a whisper in his ear, "You think I haven't thought of that?"

Ryo froze in place, his eyes narrowing in inadvertent fear, determined not to look at the card designer, "You... haven't though, have you?"

He did his best to keep his voice level as Pegasus spoke to him again, "Like I said before, I think you underestimate people, Ryo."

Right as Ryo spun around, to his surprise again, he found himself looking Pegasus in the face, but his whole face was visible... including the empty socket that once held the Millennium Eye... Though he knew better, he couldn't help but stare at the deformity, created by a man mad enough to find what he had once lost... Something he couldn't relate to. Instead of searching, he had always run the other way and he couldn't understand why people searched for things that would ultimately destroy-

"You'd take care," Pegasus said, taking a step closer, "To not do so; it's why you were never much of a strong duelist. And... if you don't take better care, it may be your downfall."

Watching his frozen employee, Pegasus stood back up to his full measure, his gift neatly deposited in Bakura's bag without his knowledge. He smiled.

"Better get on home now," He said with a smile.

Bakura could only reach for the door, not daring to look away from Pegasus in the slightest until he was out the door. Genuinely, Pegasus smiled for real this time. He hadn't even noticed. This is why Ryo was second to even Joey Wheeler... he was so easily manipulated. It was almost cute that he thought he was finally gaining his footing. It was really next to nothing. Kicking him out was as simple as... well, giving him a little gift.

 **-YGO-**

Yugi felt his back crack as he leaned backwards and upright. Maybe this was why his family was filled with short men. They were too busy bending over their work or games to stand upright. He slouched and looked up at the clock. It was 7:13. He groaned. The Game Shop was closed by now and Kisara was waiting... He zipped up his bag and got ready to go. Others were still here, but he had to go... And it wasn't like he didn't work 24-7 in Egypt anyways...

Walking towards the door and swiping his access card to exit, he likely would have kept going had it not been for the person now in front of him, "Yugi."

"Oh! Ishizu, sorry, I was just, I know it's early, but..."

"It's not early, Yugi," She said skeptically.

"Well, uh, for Japan standards..." Yugi added, smiling awkwardly.

Ishizu rolled her eyes, "You know I don't care to follow that strictly."

"Well, uh, you know how it goes..." Yugi trailed off and Ishizu nodded.

"Yes, yes, I know," She said, "Well, I'm glad that I caught you before you left. I got this from Pegasus."

Yugi glanced down to see in her hand a ticket with silver and blue printing on it, "What's this?"

"Mr. Pegasus would like you to come to the unveiling of the new Kaiba Corp Duel Disk," Ishizu explained.

"Oh..." Yugi said, taking the ticket with slight hesitancy.

He had kinda hoped that Pegasus would just sort of forget about his presence, but to no such luck. He hated these sorts of things. It meant if possible, Pegasus would ask him to duel. Ishizu seemed to pick up on Yugi's hesitancy.

"You know, Yugi," She said slowly, "After Battle City, Marik wouldn't duel for a long time. It wasn't that he refused... he just didn't want to. He was afraid I think, didn't want to give that evil part of his psyche a chance to come back..."

Yugi glanced up at her, unsure of where she was going and allowed her to finish, "I know your... well, I've noticed your reluctance to play over the past years or so and... well, what I'm trying to say is that, and even though Marik's reasonings were likely different from yours... Just, you can say no. No one can force you to do something you don't want to."

Yugi mulled over Ishizu's words. No one can force you to do something you don't want to. In the normal realm of things, yes, she was right. Exceptions seemed to occur though in past instances of his life. Like when he was possessed by Atem at times. Or when Ryo was possessed by the spirit of the Millennium Necklace... But now... she was right, no one could force him... but that didn't really matter. He didn't want to keep running away from dueling. He had inherited the title of Game King from Atem and he was going to uphold that title, no matter what.

Slowly, he nodded, "I know... but... if Pegasus asks me to duel, I will. I don't have a reason not to. And besides... I think Atem would want me to duel."

Ishizu tilted her head, a little surprised, "You're... sure about that?"

Yugi nodded, "Yeah, he'd want me to enjoy dueling, like we did together."

Ishizu's skepticism remained, "If you're sure..."

"I am," Yugi said firmly, "Though... to be fair, I don't see a likely instance in which I'm really going to get a chance to stretch my legs so to speak - though that would be nice. I'm not trying to brag but... with all I've learned from Atem, there's rarely an instance in which I've found a new, strong opponent - which would be fun, I guess..."

"Well, Kaiba will likely be there," Ishizu mentioned.

"Yeah, but... I... I just don't see us actually dueling…" Yugi said slowly.

No, that wasn't likely. Pegasus hadn't requested that they duel in ages, an oddity all things considered, and Pegasus asking him to duel had been one of the few reasons for him to duel at all in recent years. In the back of his mind, Yugi had a weird feeling that it was a way Pegasus might be irking Kaiba. Not that there was any reason to stop them from dueling on their own but... come to think of it, Yugi never felt like dueling anyone in particular these past years, so maybe...

"Well, regardless," Ishizu continued, "Let me know how it goes."

Yugi nodded, "Of course. Thanks, Ishizu."

"Anytime, my Pharaoh," She said, realizing her slip, but letting it slide. It was just so hard not to at times... And Yugi... really did remind her of Atem.

Yugi slipped his bag over his shoulder and tucked the ticket inside, making way for his bike. Unlocking it, he pulled it out and readied it to go home when he heard a door open.

"Hey, Yugi!"

His head shot up. No... Not him...

"Hi Bakura," He said slowly, "Did you need something?"

"No, uh..." Bakura said, walking down the steps, his own bag on his shoulder, "I was uh... I wanted to catch you before you left. I.. I really didn't mean to sound so confrontational the other day... I'm sorry."

Surprised, Yugi could only nod for a moment before any words came to him, "Uh, it's fine... I mean... we're allowed to have... different, uh, views..."

 _'Even if yours is wrong',_ he thought, feeling a slight shame at his arrogance there.

"Yeah well... it just... it just didn't really come out right back there," Ryo said, "I just... I wanted to make sure you understood. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here..."

A silence lingered. Despite his annoyance and anger with Ryo over the past few years, Yugi felt a sense of unease with himself. Ryo... he was trying to bridge the gap that had grown. He should try to do the same, right? Forgive him, try to understand, be patient, come to some sort of compromise, somehow. That's what Atem would have done... Especially... he could be wrong but... Ryo seemed almost distracted or... shaken up, he realized, watching Ryo's tense body language.

He sighed, "No, I know. I hope you know I'm not either... you know I... he was.. he was like a brother to me..."

Ryo nodded, "I know. I'm sorry."

The two looked at their shoes as though determined for some magical resolution to occur. Yugi in particular just wished Ryo would leave him alone right now.

"So uh," Ryo started, "Sorry, I guess you're heading home?"

"Uh, yeah, you?"

Ryo shrugged, "I don't know. I thought about getting something to eat. Did you have dinner yet?"

"Oh uh, no but uh, Joey I think was going to make something..."

"Oh right, Joey works at your grandpa's shop now," Ryo said musing, "Is he working late?"

"Kinda?" Yugi answered, "I asked him to stay late so that we could, uh, go over some larger orders..."

Larger orders? What kind of excuse...

"Ah I see. Were you going to duel afterwards?" Ryo asked.

"Oh, uh, I don't know, maybe?" Yugi said, with a shrug.

Ryo nodded, "Knowing you both, I know you will... oh, uh, come to think of it, I owe Joey for some of that ikayaki from last night, do you mind if I swing by too to give it to him?"

Yugi resisted the urge to freeze. Crap. Not this.

"Uh... well, it's kinda out of the way for you, isn't it?" He started.

"Not really, remember, I take the Higashi line," Ryo told him.

"Oh, well, uh, if you want, I can give it to him for you," Yugi offered.

"Haha, thanks but, I gotta give it to him myself. The guy helped me when I puked remember? So I gotta go in person..." Ryo said, blushing at the memory.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Even though he didn't remember at all, "Well, uh, okay, but um, I'm not sure if he'll have enough for dinner for all of us."

"That's fine, I'll just drop it off and go," Bakura told him, seemingly to relax a bit.

Yugi resisted the urge to groan a bit, "Uh, okay... Let me just tell him I'm on my way."

Putting his bag in his bike's basket, Yugi quickly whipped out his phone .

 _"Send Kisara home. Now. I'll talk to her tomorrow."_

 **-YGO-**

Turning the door sign over, Kisara stretched her back out and cracked her neck. It had been a busy day, but no worse than usual. She half wondered what it would be like when the new duel disks were finally released... probably a madhouse, as Joey would say.

"Thanks doll," Joey said from behind the counter as he counted the money in the register.

Kisara laughed, "No problem. I'll let you lock it and I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Oh, uh, no hang up, do you have plans or anything?" Joey said quickly.

"No? Why?" Kisara said, tilting her head in question.

"Oh, my man Yug wanted to talk to you a bit after work," Joey said.

"Oh, has he gotten any leads?" Kisara asked.

"Beats me," Joey said, "If he has, he hasn't mentioned anything."

"Oh..."

Noticing the silence that trailed a bit, Joey finished counting the cash in the register as quickly as he could and locked it up before standing and speaking again, "Come on, we can wait in the house. Lock it for me?"

Kisara nodded and locked the door, slipping her blue flats off and putting her work slippers back on, after which she followed Joey inside.

"Have you had Okonomiyaki yet?" Joey asked her.

"Okonomi- what?"

"Okonomiyaki," Joey repeated.

"Uh..."

"I'll take that as a no," Joey said, "Let's see if Yug's even had a chance to stock up this place."

Opening up a few drawers and cabinets, Joey started to pull out some ingredients, muttering under his breath when he couldn't find something.

"Seriously, Yug?" He'd ask, a number of times Kisara noted, as he went through the shelves.

Finally, when he seemed to have pulled out everything, he turned to her, "Alright, it's not gonna be as authentic as I'd like, but you should get the gist."

"The gist?" Kisara repeated.

"You know, the idea," Joey said, tossing her a head of lettuce, "Can you chop that up real fine for me? Getting rid of any old layers?"

Kisara smiled and nodded, "Where did you learn how to cook Joey?"

He shrugged as she got out a knife and began to chop, "Nowhere, books and things. Trial and error... my old man wasn't much of a chef, so it was learn to be one or starve really."

"Oh..." Kisara said, realizing she'd hit what felt like a less than friendly subject, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Joey said with a smile, "He may not have been a great dad, but I learned a lot from him. A lot of what not to do that is. Besides-"

He stopped, turning on the stove and dumping a handful of soba noodles in, "Girls love a guy that can cook."

Kisara snickered and rolled her eyes, "Then why does Tristan have a girlfriend and you don't?"

"Because he's a perv who doesn't see what's wrong with dating your best friend's sister," Joey answered, gaining another laugh out of Kisara as they continued their crusade of making make-shift Okonomiyaki, as Joey termed it.

"I'm going to use the restroom, you don't need me right now, right?" Kisara asked after a while.

"No, but your presence will be missed," Joey said with a wink. She laughed and placed down the bowl and spoon in her hands on the counter.

She quickly whisked off, leaving Joey alone to pour batter on the hotplate and start cooking. He was so involved with making sure he didn't burn anything that he barely noticed the door opening and Yugi walking inside, a look of panic on his face.

" _Joey_ ," He hissed and continued in a whisper, "Didn't you get my text?"

"Huh? Yug, oh, uh, no? Why?" Joey said, leaning back around to see his friend.

"Because-"

"Hi Joey!"

Popping out from behind him, Bakura peeked his head inside and waved. Joey smiled, "Hey, Bakura, I didn't know you were coming by!"

"Last minute thing," Bakura said, digging into his bag as Yugi kicked his shoes off at the genkan and ran over to Joey.

 _"Where's Kisara?"_ He hissed under his breath so Bakura couldn't hear him.

 _"In the bathroom, wh-?"_ Joey said in a hushed tone as well, confused as to why they were whispering.

"I brought you what I owe you for the ikayaki, Joey," Bakura said, standing up and handing out a bill with a few coins.

"Aw, man, ya didn't have ta do that," Joey said.

Yugi's eyes glanced to the hallway, earnestly hoping that he could either end this encounter before Kisara came out or somehow get to her without causing any alarm.

Ryo shrugged, "It's no biggie."

"Aw well, thanks," Joey said, "You can put it on the counter. Gotta watch this."

Ryo carefully slipped out of his shoes, another thing Yugi didn't want, and came over to the counter where he placed the payment, "Oh what are you making?"

"Okonomiyaki," Joey said, "Want some?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose-"

"Sorry, Joey, I can help out now," Came the voice that Yugi was at this moment dreading most.

The three boys turned to see Kisara coming out from the restroom with her usual smile, each with a different reaction. Joey grinned. Yugi felt like his stomach had dropped out of his body. And Bakura... it was like a pulse had reverberated all the way from... his bag, shocking his system into a kind of frozen trance.

"There she is," Joey said, "Kisara, Bakura, you've never met, right? Bakura, this is Kisara. Kisara, this is Bakura. She's-"

"A new employee here," Yugi filled in very quickly.

Kisara smiled and came close before giving Ryo a little bow of introduction, "Nice to meet you, Bakura."

Still frozen, Bakura found himself almost unable to move, but when he realized that he was to do the same, he did so quickly, "Likewise."

He was acutely aware of Yugi's gaze on him. If he wasn't so... distracted, he might have almost told Yugi to start using a poker face more often. Not that it mattered. He knew. He knew who, what this girl was.

A foreign presence and not one from around here.

"Well, uh, I uh, I have to talk to-" Yugi began.

"Oh Yugi, your grandpa wanted to talk to you when you got home, shouldn't ya check on him?" Joey asked.

"I will, but I gotta-"

"Uh, not to be rude," Bakura said, "But I uh, I really gotta run. I just wanted to drop off that for you, Joey."

"Eh? You sure?" Joey said, "I can probably make another plate for you-"

"No, it's fine, I'm late, I'll uh... I'll see you at work, Yugi," He said quickly, "Oh, and nice to meet you, Kisara."

"Uh, yes, you as well," She said, a little confused at the snap exit Bakura was making.

Swiftly slipping into his shoes, Bakura exited even faster than he came, shutting the door quickly behind him. There was silence, save for the sound of the frying mixture on the hotplate, no one moving. Finally, Yugi spoke.

"Crap."

"What?" Joey said.

"Crap," Yugi repeated.

"What are you talking about now?" Joey asked again.

"Bakura, I didn't- ugh, I didn't want him to see Kisara," Yugi said.

"Why didn't you say that earlie-"

"I didn't have the chance. I didn't know he was gonna just invite himself over. And I sent you a text, that's why!"

"Well sorry if I was working-"

"And making dinner with my groceries," Yugi pointed out.

"Which you have next to nothing of," Joey remarked.

"All the more reason why, hold on, no, never mind," Yugi said, turning to Kisara, "Kisara, have you ever seen Bakura before?"

She shook her head, confused, "No, never, why?"

"In the future, please avoid him. Don't be alone with him, ever, got it?" Yugi told her.

"Wh-"

"Bakura was a vessel, just like I was, but for something... someone evil. It nearly destroyed Atem and his kingdom," Yugi explained.

"What's that gotta do with Bakura now?" Joey asked.

"He reports to Pegasus," Yugi said, "Not me. Not Ishizu, Pegasus. And Pegasus is the last person I want finding out about Kisara. If he does-"

"We're in trouble?" Joey filled in, at which Kisara suddenly froze, a realization hitting her.

"Yeah," Yugi answered, when the two noticed Kisara's wide eyed gaze at the floor, "What?"

"Uh... well... uh, is Pegasus... will he be attending the new duel disk release?" Kisara asked.

Yugi's mouth gaped for a moment before he slowly nodded, "Uh... probably, yeah, why?"

Kisara ran to the little purse on the counter and pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Yugi, who hesitantly took it before seeing the same similar print.

"Where... where did you get this?" He asked.

"Seto gave it to me," She said, "He invited me."

"Well, if she can't go, I'll take it," Joey said with a smirk, "Can you imagine rubbing Kaiba's face in-"

"No," Kisara said quickly, making them both turn to her.

"What?" Yugi asked.

"I... I want to go," She said.

"Why?" Yugi said, suddenly exhauserbated.

"I... he, he invited me," She said, "Why do I need another reason?"

"Bu-"

"And besides, I've only seen a duel disk used once and it was-"

"Wait, what?"

"It was breathtaking and I, I'd love to see it again," She added quickly.

Yugi sighed, "Well, if you want to see it again, Joey and I can duel using them."

"But this is the new one-" Kisara said in a rush, though in the back of her mind, she knew it was a weak excuse.

"Yeah, but it's too risky," Yugi said, "If Pegasus sees you and makes the connection..."

"You really think an idiot like Pegasus would make that connection?" Joey asked.

"Yes," Yugi stated, admittedly before adding after a moment, "And thanks. Great to know you all think my boss is an idiot."

"Well, isn't he?" Joey said with a smirk of mocking, before laughing, "Relax, Yug, I know, I know, but... why doesn't she just.. ya know, keep a low profile or something? Not like her appearance is any more whacky than yours."

"Uh..." Yugi said, half dumb founded by the statement, "Thanks..."

Joey grinned as the conversation came to a sudden pause. The three looked between each other. Finally, Yugi sighed.

"Look, Kisara, do you... do you really want to go?" Yugi asked, already dreading the answer a bit.

She nodded fervently, "Yes. If I don't, Seto might... I think he might be disappointed... or worried..."

Joey's head tilted, "Wait, why-"

"Uh.. Kisara about that," Yugi interrupted, "Remember what I said about Kaiba on the trip to the onsen? Wh- why have you been spending so much time with him?"

"I... why shouldn't I?" She asked, "I like to spend time with him. He's smart and he's taught me a lot."

The word "smart" hit Joey's ears with a defiant air of disbelief while Yugi found it easier to stomach the whole of her statement.

"He's just... Kisara, I don't want him to think-"

"He doesn't know anything about... Kmt," She said quickly, "I haven't said a thing."

"I'm not saying you did-"

"Well then-"

"Let me finish, Kisara, I... I think he might have been part of what brought you here," Yugi told her quickly.

Kisara's eyes widened before taking on a confused expression, "What?"

"I think he might have inadvertently played a role in your appearance in this time," Yugi said, "And if so, we're likely going to need his help getting you home."

"Well, I'm sure he'd be hap-"

"No, he doesn't like Egypt. He doesn't like the history of Duel Monsters and what he calls magic," Yugi inserted.

Kisara's gaze sharpened slightly, almost taken aback, but also... showing unease, as two opposing voices in her head battled. One affirming what Yugi has said and one that… wanted to believe the best of Seto. She gave into the latter, feeling a pit of selfishness hit her stomach, "I... I think you're underestimating him, Yugi. I mean, I know he doesn't like that, but... I think he'd be willing to help us if necessary."

A little surprised, Yugi's gaze fell to the ground, trying to figure out his next move, before finally, he came to it, "I... I think you're right. I think he would, but... I think we need to bring it up to him in the best manner."

Joey at that moment, wished he could have been anywhere but in the Muto household. Kisara's gaze of hurt and Yugi's of apologetic pleading were near painful to witness. Soon though, Kisara broke it and went to her bag and slipped it over her shoulder.

"Kisara, wait," Yugi started as she slipped on her shoes.

"I'm going home," She said softly, before turning back to Yugi, "I'm sorry, Yugi, but I want to go to the show. I'll... I'll be careful with Pegasus, but... until you figure out how you want to talk to Seto about this 'in the best manner', I'm... I'm going to keep seeing him. He's my friend."

That exalted word. The one they had run their lives by since high school and she had used it in context with the most undesirable situation. Yugi swallowed before bending his head down and nodding.

"Oh... okay," He said softly, "I'll talk to him after the unveiling."

Kisara's face, once sad, again beamed. She moved to the edge of the genkan where Yugi stood and kissed him on the cheek, quickly turning him red.

"Thank you, Yugi," She said with a smile.

He nodded and watched as she closed the door behind her. As sound refused to spread from particle to particle, Yugi found himself feeling even more lost than he had been before when he heard Joey turn back to cooking the Okonomiyaki and mutter under his breath.

"Lucky dog."

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** I know, I know, you're still mad because you still don't know if they kissed, I'll get back to writing that eventually, I promise, but I'm kinda on a roll and… I'm admittedly really really excited about the duel disk release. In any case, please review and let me know what you thought! I felt bad putting Kisara and Yugi in that situation but… life isn't all rainbows unfortunately. We do get into those awkward conversations where we don't see eye to eye after all. Anyway, looking forward to hearing from you all and I'll see you in the next chapter! Later,

~Rena


	23. Chapter 23: 過去の人生 (Kako no Jinsei)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothinggggggggggg. (How sad is that? T.T)

 **Author's Note:** And now you all get to see what kind of twisted writer I can be. Mwhahahahaha…. Just kidding… mostly…. sort of… alright I don't know! XD But I am really excited to bring you all this chapter. Lots of little sneak peaks into things to come. So without further adieu, let's get into it!

 _ **Terms -**_

 _Purikura Booths -_ Photobooths that automatically photoshop you to look like dolls. Quite popular in Japan.

 _Irrashaimase_ \- Literally means "Welcome" and is said in most shops in Japan upon entering.

 _Round 1_ \- An arcade chain in Japan that includes karaoke, arcade games, food, and bowling.

 _Suica_ \- One of the brand cards used for quick access to the train systems. There are several and Suica is particular to Tokyo. As Domino is a fictional city, I picked the card I was most familiar as a descriptor, but every card does for the most part the same thing, particularly if issued by the JR Train Companies.

 _Tracing Kanji_ \- Kanji are written Chinese characters (or rather all characters other than Japanese Kana characters and European characters); these are often what makes up full names - it's uncommon to see names written in just Kana or even partially in Kana. A way some students practice kanji is by drawing it in the air or on their palms, similar to how little ones may practice remembering the alphabet in western countries - but as there are thousands of Kanji - students in Japan are constantly practicing every year - a bit like how spelling and vocab is in the US. I personally do this a lot to remember Kanji - here, Seto is using it as a calming method, a bit like how one might count to ten. I'm not sure how common a practice that is, but I've seen some people do it when they feel the need to do something with their hands.

 _Ten'in_ \- A Store Employee

 _Honne_ \- One's true thoughts or feelings or ways of behavior. Often used in conjunction with the word "Tatemae" which means essentially a "public appearance" or way of behaving. I tend to think of it as when you go out in public, you wear a mask (Tatemae) which is where you to behave in the way you're expected to in order to keep the harmony within society. You take off the mask to reveal your true self (the Honne) around those you really trust - such as family and close friends.

 _Okyaku-sama –_ Literally means "Customer". It's very formal. In Japan, there is the mentality that "customer is king" so they are to be treated and addressed with the utmost respect (thus the use of the suffix "sama" which indicates thusly).

Today's chapter title means "Past Life". This is another one I'm actually a little unfamiliar with, so I had to do some research and I'm hoping I have it right. "Kako" can mean "Past" or as a Buddhist term it can mean "Previous Life". "Jinsei" means "One's life". It could likely be written as "Kako Jinsei" or just "Kako", but I stuck with what I believe would be a more formal, elongated way of writing it… In any case, if it's wrong, my apologies! I tried! ^^;

 **-YGO-**

" _And I don't want the world to see me_

 _'Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

 _When everything's meant to be broken_

 _I just want you to know who I am."_

"Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls

 **Chapter Twenty-Three:** **過去の人生** **(Kako no Jinsei)**

Like a winged shadow, he swiftly made his way down the path in Chuo koen towards the station, his heart beating fast with dread. How did... how did he know who she was? Logically, it made sense, she had that look. Her white hair, her blue eyes, but... why was she with Yugi and not Kaiba? That part made no sense.

But then again, that's not exactly the point that worried him right now.

It was that pulse, the one that was now radiating within him like a hot flash of fear.

He swallowed, now almost at the station. But as he reached for his Suica card, he hesitated, his vision a little blurry gazing up at what had to be the steps. His hand faltered and he went around to the side of the station, leaning against the cool cement wall.

With a shaky hand, he slid down against the wall and ripped the bag open - pulling out pens and notes. Coins, headphones, cards, cash... that's when he saw it and his eyes widened.

A rounded tall cone shape made of gold. With a tremble, Bakura felt his stomach fall out of him. He recognized that shape. He knew what it was from. It was an ornament that had been on the Millennium Ring, dangling off its sides all those years ago. How...

Pegasus.

He found a bit of rage burn within him and quickly swiped out the ornament, intent on throwing it over the tracks into the unknown, when another pulse hit him.

 _'You don't really want to do that, do you?'_

 _No._

 _No, please, not him._

But still, his arm didn't move and nothing was thrown.

Like the very beginning of a new nightmare.

 **-YGO-**

He could feel his hair being tugged at by the roots and his arms reaching up to the large fat hand dragging him through the manor, the darkness enveloping the cold building as night crept into sight.

"Le... let go!" He yelled through gritted teeth.

"Not on your life!" Came the growl.

"Seto!"

"Get off you runt!"

"No, stop, don't touch him!"

There was a loud thud. The ripping of his hair twisted his scalp upwards into the face of the mustached man who had threatened his brother, who was now on the ground after being thrown back. The glinting eyes and his met and a shot of terror injected itself down his spine, forcing him to fail at attempting to repress a shiver. Still though, he glared at his oppressor with determination. This had been his choice and he wasn't going down without a fight.

Suddenly a chuckle, "Alright, Seto, you want to take on all of the punishment? Fine."

An involuntary yelp escaped him as Gozaboro dragged him out of the room.

"Seto!" His brother yelled from the ground, reaching towards him.

"No, Mokuba, go to your room! Go to your room! Don't follow me, don't you dare follow-"

A sharp twist and he gasped, turning his face away from his brother. He couldn't let Mokuba see his face right now. As he struggled to keep up with Gozaboro who was walking briskly down the hallway, he felt like the skin on the back of his neck might very well be torn off. He struggled to push away the agonizing urge to let hot tears fall. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Do you see now what happens when you open your mouth? You insolent brat," He captor raged.

"I only-"

"Embarrassed me during the board meeting? Who do you think you are?" Gozaboro spat.

"I'm your son!"

Suddenly a piercing pain radiated along the side of his face. Bleary vision met him and he realized they were now in the darkened kitchen, a room Gozaboro never went, and the culprit of his pain was the marble countertop. The pounding in his head caused his hands to slip slightly from behind him, allowing his head to now almost limply hang from Gozaboro's grasp. He felt the temptation to move one of his hands down to his face, to check if anything had broken, but after a moment, his resolve to hold onto Gozaboro's hand returned and he, now with a weaker grasp, held on. It took all of his strength to do so.

"You sure are arrogant."

While he could barely see, his vision marred with black spots, he could hear just fine the sound of a door opening. In an instant, he felt the pull of Gozaboro's hand on his hair again and he yelled, when suddenly the grip released and he felt himself being hurled somewhere... The impact of wooden shelves and the slamming of a door, encasing him in darkness quickly alerting him to where he was. The pantry. Something hard hit his head, which was soon followed by several more similar items also falling. Curling into a ball and pressing into the corner, Seto covered his head with his arms as cans fell from the shelves above. Finally, when it all seemed to stop, he heard a metallic click. He was locked inside.

Opening an eye, he saw the moonlight faintly trailing in from where the door stood. Moving towards the door, he grasped the handle and jiggled it, but nothing changed. He banged on the door.

"Hey! Hey!"

"Shut up!" And a louder bang from the other rattled the door, shocking him back into the shelves.

Seto immediately covered his head, but thankfully, nothing else fell. Opening his eyes again, he glared.

"You can't do this to me!" He yelled through the door, "I didn't say anything that wasn't true!"

"Truth?" Came the gruff, angry reply through the doorway, "What do you know about truth? You sad excuse for an ingrate."

Anger burned in Seto's chest and he banged back on the locked door again, "You know nothing about truth! You lie to your customers and sell in the underground markets! You wouldn't hesitate to throw another person in front of a bus if it helped you!"

"Like your brother?"

Back in came the panic and the cold and Seto stopped banging on the door. No, not Mokuba. Not his brother, who had done nothing, nothing at all.

"You want to know something about telling the truth? Sometimes the truth isn't kind..."

Gozaboro wasn't yelling anymore and it made Seto increasingly nervous.

"For instance, I'll tell you a bit of truth right now," Gozaboro said coolly, "You might be my son legally, but in truth, you are nothing to me. You're a poor excuse for an heir. I'm not your father and you're not my son. You're a sad orphaned child who had to cheat in a game of chess to get out of a world that looks upon your kind with pity and an incapability to stand and accept your existence. Because your existence proves the world isn't all good and they don't like that. They don't like you. No one does. Not them. Not me. And if I'm not mistaken... not even you."

Seto felt himself shaking. As the words reached his brain, it felt like they were struggling to tear it apart while electric waves fought to keep the oozing needles of what Gozaboro called "truths" away.

"Why would anyone like you? You're spoiled, arrogant, hot headed; a calculating, smart aleck brat and incapable of showing consideration for other people. And that coldness that you have will only grow as time goes on and you're groomed into something capable of running KaibaCorp, even if that something is only passable."

That wasn't true. He did care about other people. His brother. His... he bit his lip as no one else came to mind and he fought back a choking feeling that his twelve year old body found difficult to overcome. It felt hard to care for anyone else because he knew no one cared about him. He meant nothing to no one.

"And do you want to know something else, Seto? I'll tell you one more truth tonight, because I'm feeling generous. No matter what you do, no matter what you learn, no matter what you accomplish, you can't run away from your past and who you are. Because nothing, and I repeat nothing nor no one, can ever change that."

The words echoed like sirens in his ears. He couldn't listen to Gozaboro. Gozaboro was a bitter old man who had no one either. He was just angry and jealous of him and his intellect, he was just...

As the footsteps trailed slightly farther away, Seto found himself sinking down against the wall, his head falling to his knees. He couldn't run away from that. He was a no one. Just some orphan kid who got lucky and beat a world champ at chess... He didn't cheat though. That was something. A thought came to him and from his pocket, Seto retrieved the small hand drawn card that Mokuba had made him a couple years ago that he kept in his pocket every day as he dealt with Gozaboro's scorn. The crudely drawn Blue Eyes that somehow gave him hope as the moonlight briefly made it visible, lighting it up like blue lightning.

He swallowed and leaned his head back, when a sound met his ears. Gozaboro hadn't left the kitchen.

"Oh, that's right, you said your brother was to go to his room, wasn't he?"

Seto's eyes widened.

"I guess I'll go take care of him now too."

"No!"

Immediately Seto sat up in his bed, a cold sweat enveloping him. Throwing the covers from himself, he sprinted down the corridor from his room to Mokuba's. His hand shook for a moment, before he steeled himself and opened the door as quietly, but as briskly as he could. Glancing inside, he saw Mokuba asleep in, once again, one of the most ludicrous positions humanly possible, but the sight granted him relief. He let out a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding.

Shutting the door softly, he leaned against the wall, letting the drywall freeze his bare back, which was covered in the uncomfortable sweat. He sighed and made his way back to his bedroom and back to the master bathroom.

Opening the door, he turned the faucet and let the water run till it was lukewarm. Cupping his hands, he gathered the water and threw it onto his face. Once, then twice. It was only a dream...

 _"You can't run away from your past."_

Seto's head swerved to his room, which was vacant. It was the same line... but the voice... it was different. He felt uneasy and threw water on his face for a third time. As he looked down at the drops of remaining water running down his fingers in the darkness, something struck him about the sight... it… it didn't complete look like water. Like a strobe light, instead of water, a red murky liquid also seemed to flow down from his hands and trickled down his arms, water again…

 _"I-"_

Then the scarlet-

 _"Will make-"_

And then... a body in front of him.

" _You accept-"_

The sensation of holding a thin, transparent body overcame him. And all the red...

 _"My gift."_

Seto gasped and flung himself back, slamming into the door and sliding down it, just as he had that one night in the pantry. He shut his eyes tightly.

He was hallucinating. Overworked. Tired. In his mind, he traced the strokes that formed the Kanji in his name, trying to ground himself a bit from the illusion... But as his heart rate slowed, he couldn't help but wonder...

The second voice… was different. Had he heard it before? It wasn't Gozaboro so... His mind wandered back to the thin body he had envisioned briefly. What was that? A weird unease settled on him as the feeling that the body had been… dead overcame him. He'd never killed anyone. Fired yes. Trampled on, yes. Indeed, Gozaboro had been right to say that he would grow colder as the years went on. But to kill someone... that had never been his intention. That wasn't who he was. So who... who or what... what gift was that voice talking about... He shook his head and rubbed the sides of his arms, willing himself to feel comfortable, until finally, he felt steady enough to stand up and make his way back to his bed.

As his head hit his pillow again, he glanced out the window to his right where the moon shone as it did all those years ago. He reached over for the locket on his dresser and clicked it open, where a much cuter picture of his little brother smiled back up at him, but then to his surprise, a little note fell out as well. Scrutinizing the note, Seto picked it up off the ground and unfolded it up to the light so he could read it.

They did this sometimes, write notes to one another this way. Mokuba did it more than he did. But essentially it was a way for them to say things to each other without anyone else knowing. Like some childish secret code or secret passageway. He'd use it for business tactics mostly. Mokuba was more... frivolous about it. As the light hit the note though, Seto instantly felt a spike of annoyance.

 _"If you don't make the move on Kisara at the Duel Disk release this time, I will personally tell Yugi all of your secret Duel Monsters strategies before your next duel with him!"_

No, annoyance wasn't quite accurate. More like irritation. Crumbling up the note, Seto threw it away against the wall, where it uncrumpled slightly. He glared at it. So easy and so simple minded on these things was his brother, who had literally, in Seto's mind, no shame... He had no problem with who he was. And why would he? Seto had never let anything ruin Mokuba's life, at least... when he could prevent it. And everyone liked Mokuba. He was well received by everyone. Mokuba didn't have the things that held... that held him back.

Like a reputation. Like a job. Like responsibilities. Like financial wealth...

He rolled onto his back, gazing at the trails on the ceiling, wishing them to stop swirling around like clouds in a Van Gogh painting... He reached into the backboard of his bed and opened a small compartment and slipped one of his Blue Eyes out to look at it. Even in next to no light, it shone, glimmering back and forth at him. He flicked it a bit back and forth, letting the glittering, gleaming shine of the card flash in his eyes. Something so perfect...

 _"You can't run away from your past."_

 _"I will make you accept my gift."_

He shut his eyes and placed the Blue Eyes back in its hiding place, before rolling over onto his left side. With a sour determination, he could practically hear himself countering the statements, though no counter sounded strong enough. He wanted to tell this voice... whose sounds didn't quite align in his mind with anyone in particular... to just wait and see. He wasn't defined by the past. He wouldn't ever let himself be. And this gift... what gift... whatever it was, if he didn't want it, he wouldn't take it. No one could force anything upon him. No, he decided his own destiny, even if a hint of fear... no, he had no fear. There was nothing he was afraid of. Nothing..

As Seto's eyes drifted downward, he thought about Mokuba's note. "You better make the move!" He rolled his eyes under his closed lids. That kid. This is what he got for listening to Mokuba and sleeping for once. Weak rebuttals for why nothing anyone said mattered... and threats for not being more forward with... whatever it was that Mokuba was talking about. Whatever indeed.

 **-YGO-**

"Hey sleepy head, time to wake up."

Kisara's eyelids twitched, unaccustomed to waking up with light shining on her face. What was... She bolted upright.

"What time is it?" She asked Tea, who was standing nearby pouring a glass of water.

"It's 10:45," She said with a smile, "You don't work today, right? I let you sleep in."

"Oh..." Kisara said, trailing off and slouching slightly.

Tea tilted her head, a little surprised by Kisara's melancholy way of answering, "You alright?"

"Hm?" Kisara said, sitting up right again, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine..."

Tea's brow furrowed and she crossed the room in her socks, slipping down onto the floor where Kisara was, "You sure?"

After a moment, Kisara shook her head, "I... I kinda... Yugi and I had a bit of uh, well, disagreement yesterday..."

"About what?" Tea asked surprised.

With that Kisara launched into the whole story, leaving Tea sitting stunned, her water untouched.

Kisara sighed, slouching her shoulders, "I mean, I understand that he's worried, I just... I was looking forward to this. And..."

"He just kinda killed the mood?" Tea filled in.

Kisara nodded, "I just.. I don't know, should I just not go?"

"Well, you said you're going and really, Yugi should understand that if he's so worried about Kaiba, then he should do something about it sooner rather than later. It's not fair to you," Tea said, standing up, "I mean, yeah, if I were you, I'd be cautious, but... you gotta live your life you know? Just because you're yanked out of your time, doesn't mean life just stops."

Kisara tried to unmask the meaning behind Tea's words, which sounded oddly unlike her. So she and Yugi didn't agree on everything after all... Was that it?

"Okay, I gotta ask though," Tea said breaking Kisara's train of thought, "Do you... really trust Kaiba that much? I mean, I get it, he tossed a super expensive watch at you-"

Kisara unconsciously touched her wrist where the watch was. She had taken to not taking it off except to shower, even though Tea told her she would bet her month's salary that it was waterproof.

Tea continued, "But... I mean, in your gut of guts, do you really trust him?"

There was a pause, before Kisara gave her a very firm answer with a fervent nod, "Yes. I do."

Tea sighed and rolled her eyes, "Well, alright then."

"Huh?"

"I trust you," Tea said, "So if you trust Kaiba then... well, you should go right?"

Kisara smiled widely, before throwing the covers off of herself, standing, and tackling Tea in a hug, "Thank you."

"Of course," Tea said cheerfully, "Now, what's the dress code for this thing?"

 **-YGO-**

Dress code wasn't something that Kisara had even thought of and looking at the location, Tea was even less certain as to what was appropriate.

"Kaiba Land?" Kisara repeated as they strolled down the mall's hallways.

"Yeah, you mean Kaiba never bragged about that?" Tea asked, "It's like, his baby project, aside from duel tournaments. It's a whole amusement park like USJ or Tokyo Disneyland, but based around the concept of Duel Monsters."

"What's Disneyland?" Kisara asked as they continued their walk, the smells of fresh lunches being prepared below wafting up to them. She felt her stomach growl as she contemplated the idea of a park dedicated to a game.

"Uh, it's a well, like, Disneyland, USJ, and Kaiba Land are basically all big parks but with these machines that you ride that give you adrenaline rushes," Tea elaborated, "And some have games and pretty locations like Cinderella's Castle."

While Kisara didn't have a clue as to who Cinderella was, the word castle sounded important and grand - perhaps it was like a fortress or the emperor's palace, "Well... what do you wear to amusement parks?"

"Really depends," Tea elaborated, "Like, if you and I were going, I'd say something comfy that we could run around in, but if it was like a date, I'd say something a little cuter... but then again, this thing, I don't know how formal it is. Kaiba can be pretty flashy, but whether he would expect duelists to show up ready to duel or want them to act like business men for once and to come in suits... hoping Yugi will get back to me. He'd probably know what would be appropriate..."

"What do people normally wear to an unveiling?" Kisara asked as they made their way into a little boutique.

From the register, the normal higher pitched "Irrashaimase" came, welcoming them in. As the words escaped Yuzuka, she could swear that she wasn't cut out for a part time job. She constantly wanted to chew gum... or try on clothes. Or ignore the "Okyaku-sama" that came in and the folding and hanging of clothes tried on. She would so much rather play Tsum Tsum on her phone or go across the way to Round 1 and take pictures at the Purikura booths. But when she saw who it was that was entering, she had to take a double take. One of the girls... Wasn't that the girl who she and Mokuba had...

"Suits and dresses..." Tea mused, looking through a rack.

Kisara did the same, though slower than Tea, who perused through the items like they were napkins. But Kisara couldn't do that. Everything was just too pretty... On the back of the rack, something caught her eye. She pulled it out, even as her stomach protested. It was time for lunch. A pair of hands popped onto her shoulder and she jumped.

"Oh! You'd look beautiful in that!" Tea exclaimed, pushing Kisara towards the changing room, "Go on, try it on!"

"Uh, wait, um-"

But her protests went unheeded and suddenly she was in a darker little room where she could change. Sighing, she began to pull off her top.

 _Well, it couldn't hurt..._

 **-YGO-**

It had happened again.

He'd been ditched again.

As glad as he was that Seto was taking an interest in someone aside from, well, business colleagues and himself, his patience was wearing thin. His brother was in many ways as unique as they come, though unfortunately it seemed, he was still typical when it came to girls. In other words, he was a clueless, dragging-his-feet-in-the-ground, waiting-for-her-to-make-the-first-move kind of idiot, at least in Mokuba's mind.

At least he was going to lunch with her still. At least...

But it was without him, making his inner emotions of wanting to hang out with his brother and wanting his brother to be happy conflict with themselves badly.

So instead, he figured he'd go see if he could be unlike his brother so to speak and go bother Yuzu. Taking the last few steps of the elevator three at a time, he came up to the level where her shop was, when he spotted a familiar head in the window.

"Tea?"

The head turned to him with surprise, "Oh, hey Mokuba!"

Mokuba smiled and ran over, entering the store, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, shopping," She said, and then after a moment, added, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just winging it," Mokuba said, putting his hands behind his head and stretching.

Tea's eyes narrowed with scrupulous doubt, "Did your brother _ditch_ you?"

"Nooooooo..." Mokuba said, trying to sound cool and nonchalant.

Not buying it for a second, though slightly surprised, Tea rolled her eyes, "Whatever. So you're just killing time?"

Mokuba nodded, "Yeah, but uh, also thought I might try to come by and see this gorgeous lady I know. She's kinda a bombshell."

At that, the curtain to the back slid open and Mokuba turned to see Yuzu with a very amusing look on her face in which she attempted to keep on her "ten'in" appearance and tell him to buzz off at the same time.

"Oh, hey Yuzu," Mokuba said, with a mischievous smile, "I didn't know you worked here."

Yuzu's face looked like it might crack, exposing the honne beneath, "Welcome sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Only if you have suits," Mokuba replied, "I personally don't prefer wearing dresses."

"Oh, have you worn them before then?" Yuzu asked, playfully digging at him in an underhanded manner.

Suddenly stunted in his conversational path, Mokuba tried to keep a smile and let it slide off his shoulders, "No, but I'd bet... this would look ravishing on you."

He pulled a rather too-short-to-be-appropriate green silky dress out from the rack and waved it at her. Understanding now that Mokuba was being a little heartbreaker at this point, Tea went back to looking through the dresses when her phone rang.

At Italiano's, Seto had been tapping his foot impatiently. It was 12:36. She was never this late. Never. And slowly, his impatience had started to turn into an emotion of slight... anxiety? Maybe that's what it was? Finally, he had relented and pulled out his phone, dialing Tea Gardner's phone number.

It rang a couple times before an answer came, "Hello?"

"Gardner, where's Kisara?" He said, snapping along quickly to the point of the call.

"Hello to you too, Kaiba," Tea said, perusing the racks, musing at her luck to have "encountered" both brothers in a matter of minutes somehow.

"Answer the question," He said annoyed.

"Hey, is that Seto?" came a voice from not too far away.

He recognized that voice immediately, but how… Mokuba? Suddenly, he got a ping in his ear. Gardner was Facetiming him. Reluctantly, he accepted and looked at his screen.

"Why does it matter?" She asked, seemingly annoyed, though not as annoyed as Yuzu who had practically been discarded by Mokuba like a used paper towel the moment his brother was in the picture, which was hazy and pixelated at best.

"We were supposed to meet for lunch," Seto explained, rolling his eyes.

"Oh? Really?" She answered, surprised, and then in a loud voice called to Kisara, "Hey, Kisara, were you supposed to meet with Kaiba for lunch?"

From inside the changing room, Kisara's head perked up immediately, her mind shuffling through her memories, "Um... no I don't think so. It's Saturday, right?"

Mokuba glanced over to the outside of the changing station and saw a pair of cute blue flats outside, the only ones Kisara ever wore. Tea was here with Kisara? How had he missed that... Then again, he had thought Kisara would be with his brother. Then he remembered he had come here to talk to Yuzu and glanced her way, giving her a sheepish grin, to help save him a bit from her wrath later. She stared death at him in a way only she could while looking like an innocent doll at the register.

"Yeah," Tea said, returning her attention to Kaiba, "It's Saturday, she wasn't planning on it - she doesn't work Saturdays.."

Seto took a moment to recall that fact as well and when he realized that he had indeed made that mistake, he did his best to not call attention to it. Thankfully, Kisara interrupted and distracted Tea from noticing his clear embarrassment.

"Is he on the phone? Does he want to talk to me?" She said, peaking out a bit from the dressing room.

Tea's eyes widened and her face broke into a smile, noticing the garment her friend was wearing, "Uh, not sure…"

Seto's right eyebrow rose, unsure what Tea was staring at, when he saw and heard her get interrupted. Unbeknownst to Seto, Mokuba had glanced over and away from his brother on the phone and his eyes widened a bit as well. An immediate gut instinct took over: he wanted to see his brother's reaction. So he was.

"Oh heck yes he would," Mokuba said with excitement and Yuzu's death glare now but a distant memory, he grabbed the phone and aiming the camera at Kisara, "Here, Kisara, wave hi!"

Kisara, clearly not expecting what Mokuba was doing, hesitantly took a full step out of the dressing room. The image continued to be a pixelated mess, owed only to what Seto could imagine was the connection, but regardless...

He was at a loss for any sound at all, his eyes widening like Tea's had before only somehow… in a quieter manner, if eyes could make sounds.

Kisara hesitantly had taken a step out of the changing room and was standing in a short pale blue dress. He couldn't see many of the details, but... a heat came to his face and he gulped down his immediate reaction which was that in that color anyway and with the cut of the dress... she was super cute. Mokuba laughed at his brother's silence and filled it in on their end.

"What do you think Seto, pretty spectacular, no?" His words came with a less than vague prodding.

While Tea eyed the younger one slightly, Seto blinked a few times before coming to a response, "I.. I can't really see much of any details, but... yes, from what I can see, it looks very nice."

"That's impressive, Kaiba," Tea said, smirking and taking the phone back, "I didn't know you could give compliments."

"Very funny," Seto said, his bitterness returning sharply, when Kisara ran over and came into view upon picking up the phone, her face now closer and less blurry.

"Seto, I'm sorry, I didn't think we were meeting today because-"

"No, it's fine. I should have realized because it was Saturday," He filled in.

While Tea's brows rose, Mokuba smirked. "It's fine" was almost a phrase exclusively used by Seto only to Mokuba. So to hear it come from his now… Tea found it to be unusual at the very least while Mokuba, he found it to be encouraging to hear.

"What are you doing at the mall anyway?" Seto asked.

"Oh, uh, Tea said... that the duel disk release might be formal or semi-formal and uh, I didn't have anything to wear..."

"Ah..." Seto said, giving a nod, "I see. Well, it's semi-formal or business casual attire. You could get away with something like you wore to Kyoto if you wanted."

Kisara gave a nod, her face unintentionally revealing a bit of joy, "Okay! Well, thank you!"

Seto nodded, "No problem."

Tea aimed her phone back at herself and looked at Kaiba, "Anything else?"

"No... that's it," Seto said, "Have a good day."

Tea eyed him before reluctantly hanging up. "Have a good day"? That was almost as weird as "It's fine". What kind of magic was Kisara working on Kai- and then the thought hit her… She glanced over to Kisara, who had stood up in full and started to head back to the changing room, before her gaze returned to her phone. She glanced over at Mokuba who was watching Kisara, when their eyes met and he smiled broadly and it clicked like a stamp reading "confirmed" being hit upon a paper like an official seal. No way. It's not like she hadn't seen signs from before hinting at it and it's not like it hadn't crossed her mind but… Was Seto Kaiba really falling for a girl?

She glanced over to the changing room when the door opened again. Heading over, Tea readjusted her purse, avoiding Mokuba's eyes, and hoped that she was acting normal, "So, you going to get it?"

Kisara shook her head, "No, I can't afford it."

"What? How expensi-" Tea stopped mid-sentence when she saw the tag. That wasn't even something she could loan out, "Oh... well, this is rather formal anyway. Let's go find you something else that's a little better for the occasion... and cheaper."

Kisara nodded, placing the dress back on the hook.

"You're not going to get it?" Mokuba asked, hearing the click of the hook on the rack.

Kisara glanced up, "Hm? Oh, no, it's not really appropriate for the occasion. So I'm going to pass. See you around, Mokuba."

Mokuba and Yuzu watched the two girls walk out and once they were out of sight, Yuzu let her mask go.

"Get out."

"But I-"

"OUT!"

 **-YGO-**

Joey nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a hand slam down on the counter. Turning to the genkan, which bordered the kitchen, he saw Yugi kicking off his shoes.

"You're home early," He commented.

"Yeah, here..."

Joey looked down at the piece of paper Yugi was sliding towards him and his eyes widened ten fold, "Yug, is this-"

"Yeah, look, I... I don't want to be seen with Kisara if I can help it. I know Bakura already saw her here, but I'd like to stay away from her when he's present. I think it would be better if it looked like I barely knew her. So... I was able to pull a few strings, could you go? Just, be there for her if she gets into any trouble?" He asked.

"Dude, do you have to ask?" Joey replied, a goofy grin on his face, ecstatic at the notion that he was going to get to go to the biggest dueling related PR stunt of the year.

Yugi shrugged, "Do you have a suit?"

"Uh... I think so?" Joey said, trying to recall the contents of his closet.

Yugi nodded, "Alright, just... yeah, I can't give you a ride. I'm stuck with Pegasus, but I really appreciate it Joey."

"Don't worry, I'm here for ya both," Joey told him.

Though feeling exhausted after a long day and rather serious about the whole matter, Yugi smiled, knowing that Joey was just excited to go, "You're so full of it."

Joey flashed him a grin.

 **-YGO-**

 **A/N:** So in regards to Kaiba's nightmare... for those who have been reading my stuff over the various years, I'd bet ANYTHING that the above didn't surprise ANY of you that I'd dip into something like that. Trauma tends to be a specialty of mine when it comes to writing. I think it's because while I would say that my favorite thing about writing is exploring relationships, I do think I tend to really dive into it more when it comes to the fight of good vs evil - it's like my bread and butter and the strongest examples of that tend to be when characters must overcome immense struggles and trauma. So… there you go, dark and gloomy stuff from me as it's been a while haha. At least Kisara's part made up for the darker parts of this chapter? Maybe? Let me know in your reviews and feel free to ask any questions! Can't wait to bring you another chapter next month!

Later,

~Rena


End file.
